Dillon  County 

Economic  and  Social 


m 


EDGAR  T.  THOMPSON 
DEWEY  STEPHENS 


University  of  South  Carolina 

Dillon  County  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs 

June  1922 


Bulletin  University  of  South  Carolina— Issued  Monthly 
No.  110,  June  1922.     Second  Class  Mail  Matter 


The  Bank  of  Little  Rock 

Little  Rock,  South  Carolina 


We  Invite  Your  Business 


T.  C.  SHERWOOD,  J.  H.  MEADOWS, 

President  Cashier 

L.  A.  MANNING, 
Vice-President 


?  Our  time,  service,  advice  and  experience     » 

?  in  money  matters  is  at  your  command.               » 

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i  Your  account,  protected  by  our  ample  re- 

t  sources,    will   receive  every   consideration 

I  and  attention. 

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I  We  invite  the  accounts  of  those  who  are 

:  desirous  of  forming  a  strong,  helpful  banking 

i  connection. 


tve  ^' 


**No  Account  Too  Large  To  Handle, 
No  Account  Too    Small  To  Serve" 


CAPITAL  $75,000 
SURPLUS  $75,000 

The  Bank  of  Dillon 

Dillon,  S.  C. 


W.  H.  MULLER,  JOHN  C.  BETHEA, 

President  Vice-President 

J.  M.  SPRUNT,  DR.  WADE  STACKHOUSE, 

Cashier  Vice-President 

R.  L.  MOODY, 

Asst.  Cashier 


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••••••"•"•"•-••••"•••••••-••••"•••••••-•••••••••••^••«-«"»-»-«  .»..». .»..«-»ll«  .»l  »ll»l.»ll»  l»ll«.. 


The  Bank  of  Latta 


W.   H.   SMITH,   President  L.  A.  MANNING,  Jr.,  Vice-President 

M.  M.  SELLERS,  Cashier  E.  C.  ALLEN,  Vice-Pre-adent 


Latta,  S.  C. 


A  Good  Bank  in  a  Good  Town 
Offers  to  You  Safety  and  Service 


"BANK  WITH  US"  1 


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j  The  Peoples  Bank  j 

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t  "The  Home  for  Savings"  I 

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j  Dillon,   S.  C.  I 

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Capital  and  Surplus  $74,500 


Gives  Efficient,  Courteous 
and  Prompt  Service 


We  Solicit  Your  Patronage 


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T.  A.  DILLON,  Pres.  F.  B.  DAVID.  Cashier  f 

V.    L.  McLEAN,  Vice-Pres.        T.  W.  HAMER,  Asst.  Cashier 


Phone  16 


1  I 

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i   Farmers  &  Merchants  Bank   i 

Head  Office,   Marion,  S.  C. 

Latta,  South    Carolina 

*  

I     Solicits    the  accounts  of  Individuals,   Firms 
and  Corporations 

The  Strongest  Bank  in  Dillon  County 

Capital  $100,000 
Surplus  $125,000 

"Make  This  Bank  Your  Business  Home" 


I       W.  H.  CROSS,  Pres.         W.  D.  BETHEA,  Asst.  Cashier       i 
i  H.  A.  BETHEA,  Vice-Pres.  1 

i  I 


DILLON  COUNTY 

Economic  and  Social 


EDGAR  T.  THOMPSON 
DEWEY  STEPHENS 


A  Laboratory  Study  in  the  Department  of  Rural  Social  Science 
of  the  Universitv  of  South  Carolina 


MAY  1922 


10^ 


>- 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

FOKEWOKI)      7 

I.     Historical  Backgkoim)   '•) 

II.     Dillon  County  Towns    14 

Dillon — Latta — -Lake   View — Little   Rock. 

III.     Natural  Resources  and  Industries   23 

Geography —  Timber  —  Mineral  Deposits —  Soils  —  Cli- 
mate— Industries. 

IV.     Facts  About  the  Folks   28 

Population  Increases — Illiteracy — A  Big  Church  Prob- 
lem— Vital  Statistics — Marriages — Population  Fig- 
ures— Negro  Ownership  of  Farms — Table. 

V.     Wealth  and  Taxation   32 

£2  Agricultural      Wealth — Total      Wealth — Farm      Mort- 

•^  gages — Banks        and        Banking       Resources — Liberty 

Loans — Automobiles — Roads  and  Railways — Tax- 
ation— Table. 

5"^  VI.     Schools    41 

3  Ten      Year     Gains — Attendance — Teachers — Consolida- 

tion— Rank  of  Dillon  County  Schools — Negro  Edu- 
cation— Table. 

cv,        VII.     Dillon    Agriculture    49 

Dillon  Count.v  Predominantly  Agricultural — Idle 
CM  Lands — Farm     Tenancy — Size    of     Farms — Drainage — 

g  Cotton     and     the     Boll     "Weevil     Problem — Tobacco — 

•^  Corn — Sweet      Potatoes — Our      Livestock      Situation — 

Machinery    on    the    Farm — Farm    Loan    Associations — 

Table. 

c5      VIII.     Balance  Sheet  in  Food  and  Feed  Production  Gl 

Our  Deficiency — The  Shortage  in  Detail — Reasons  for 
^  Shortage — The    Boll    Weevil   Would    Starve    on   Corn — 

O  The  Local  Market  Problem — Co-operative  Marketing — 

ca  "Sugar  Spuds" — What  the  Banks  Can  Do — Standardiz- 

ui  ing  the  Product — Table. 

-;• 

q  IX.     Evidences  of  Progress   71 

^  Educational      Advances — Our      Towns — Wealth — Agri- 

culture— Dillon  County  Fair — County  Federation  of 
Women's  Clubs — Public  Health  Work — Home  Demon- 
stration Activities — Farm  Demonstration  Work — 
Transportation — Table. 

X.     Our  Problems  and  Their  Solution   SO 

A  County-W^ide  Chamber  of  Commerce — Farm  Ten- 
ancy— Poor  School  Attendance — Illiteracy — An  Ill- 
balanced  Farm  System — Tax  Reform — Co-operative 
Movements — Libraries. 


449625 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/dilloncountyeconOOthom 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 


For  the  publication  of  this  booklet,  thanks  are  clue  to  those 
public  spiritefl  men  and  women  of  Dillon  County  who  by  liberal 
advertisements  and  contributions  made  possible  this  work.  We 
are  certain  that  the  citizens  of  this  county  whom  this  bulletin  is 
trying  to  serve,  and  this  includes  all  of  the  citizens  of  the  county, 
will  extend  to  these  advertisers  their  heartiest  support.  To  Dr. 
J.  II.  David,  Mr.  Houston  Manning.  Mr.  L.  A.  Manning,  Mrs.  R.  P. 
Hamer,  Mr.  J.  S.  Thomp.son  and  to  the  Dillon  County  Federation 
of  Women's  Clubs,  we  are  grateful  for  generous  contributions. 

We  are  also  under  obligations  to  Mr.  W.  C.  McCall,  a  Florence 
County  student  at  the  University,  for  aid  in  soliciting  advertise- 
ments. 

In  the  chapter  on  Dillon  County  Towns  the  write-up  of  Little 
Rock  was  prepared  by  Mr.  C.  V.  Hayes,  Lake  View  by  Mr.  J.  E. 
Haukius,  a  student  at  the  University,  and  Dillon  by  Mr.  W.  J. 
Carter  and  Mr.  A.  B.  Jordan. 

There  is  little  in  this  study  that  is  original  except  as  far  as 
arrangement  and  interpretation  is  concerned.  The  psychologist  James 
says  a  genius  is  a  man  who  can  stick  in  his  bill  anywhere  and  draw 
out  what  the  occasion  demands.  In  this  we  hope  we  have  imitated 
genius.  The  work  owes  much  to  the  help  of  Dr.  Wilson  Gee,  head 
of  the  Department  of  Rural  Social  Science.  We  are  greatly  indebted 
to  him  for  his  suggestions,  encouragement  and  criticisms  all  along 
the  course  of  its  preparation. 

EDGAR  T.  THOMPSON, 

DEWEY  STEPHENS. 

University  of  South  Carolina, 
May,  1022. 


JAMHvS  W.  DlLLOx\ 


FOREWORD 


Wilson  Gee. 

Professor  of  Rural  Social  Science , 
University  of  South  Carolina: 

In  point  of  fact  the  territory  of  Dillon  County  is  as  old  as 
almost  any  of  the  coastal  plain  region  of  South  Carolina.  But 
Dillon  County  as  a  political  unit  dates  back  only  to  1010  and  is 
the  forty-third  county  formed  in  the  State. 

A  kind  Providence  had  smiled  on  Dillon  in  the  lot  that  has  been 
awiarded  her.  Blessed  with  soils  unexcelled  anywhere,  and  a 
thrifty,  law-abiding  people,  believing  firmly  in  good  schools  and 
churches  as  fundamentals,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  county  has 
so  much  to  her  credit  as  recorded  in  the  following  pages.  Yet, 
withal,  there  are  enough  of  hard,  knotty  problems  included  to 
keep  her  character  as  a  people  firm  and  intact  if  they  will  but 
apply  themselves  to  the  task. 

The  writer  can  attest  that  this  bulletin  has  been  indeed  a  labor 
of  love  with  Messrs.  Edgar  T.  Thompson  and  Dewey  Stephens,  both 
sons  of  Dillon  County.  The  work  has  been  carefully  and  effi- 
ciently done.  They  have  not  spared  themselves,  working  in  season 
and  out  of  season  to  the  end  that  they  might  faithfully  portray 
the  economic  and  social  resources  of  their  native  county,  so  far 
as  these  lend  themselves  to  measurement.  Their  attitude  has  been 
to  justly  appraise  these  resources,  giving  tribute  where  it  is  due, 
and  at  the  same  time  calling  attention  to  the  shortcomings  and 
problems  of  the  county  which  they  place  first  among  all  counties. 

There  is  no  person  in  Dillon  County  but  that  will  be  worth  more 
to  his  neighborhood,  county  and  State  when  he  has  finished  reading 
the  study  set  forth  in  the  following  pages. 

University  of  South  Carolina, 
Columbia,   South   Carolina, 
May  12.  1922. 


I. 
HISTORICAL  BACKGROUND 


Edcak   T.   Thompson. 


Dillon  County  is  oue  of  the  youngest  counties  in  tlie  State.  Its 
liistoiy  as  a  county  is  short  but  the  history  of  the  territory  now 
included  in  Dillon  County  is  as  old  and  as  interesting  as  that  of 
any  other  part  of  South  Carolina. 

The  earliest  inhabitants  of  this  section  of  the  state  found  I'esi- 
dent  here  a  tribe  of  Indians  who  are  thought  by  some  to  have  been 
named  the  "Pee  Dee"  Indians.  But  this,  however,  is  not  certain.  The 
first  official  mention  v.e  have  of  the  name  of  Pee  Dee  was  about 
1731  when  Pee  Dee  Township  on  lower  Pee  Dee  River  was  one  of 
the  eleven  townships  marked  out  in  South  Carolina  to  expedite  the 
settlement  of  that  province.  One  located  on  upper  I'ee  Dee  River 
was  callwl  Queensboro  Township.  Altho  this  township  did  not  in- 
clude any  of  the  territory  now  embraced  in  Dillon  County,  never- 
theless many  settlers  emigrated  from  it  to  all  parts  of  the  Pee  Dee 
country.  Thus  from  about  1731  dates  the  earliest  settlement  of  the 
region. 

After  Braddock's  defeat  in  western  Pennsylvania  by  the  Indians 
in  17.j5,  a  large  number  of  Virginians  and  Pennsylvanians,  realiz- 
ing their  insecurity,  left  their  homes  and  settled  on  both  sides  of 
the  boundary  line  between  eastern  North  and  South  Carolina.  Dur- 
ing the  next  several  years  many  other  settlements  were  made  over 
the  entire  country  of  the  Pee  Dees.  Among  these  were  Welsh  Baptists 
from  Pennsylvania  and  Delaware  on  "Welsh  Tract"  around  the 
present  city  of  Florence ;  Irish  Protestants  on  the  Pee  Dee  about 
1738;  English  and  Irish  of  the  Established  Church  of  England  at 
Britton's  Neck;  and  settlers  from  other  states,  North  Carolina, 
Virginia,  Maryland  and  even  far  off  Connecticut.  While  most 
of  the.se  settlements  were  made  outside  of  what  is  now  Dillon 
County  they  are  important  because  many  of  our  citizens  today 
trace  the  beginning  of  their  family  name  in  America  to  some  of 
these  early  pioneers.  Also  they  serve  to  acquaint  us  with  the 
racial  strains  an<l  conseciuent  political  and  religious  ideals  of  our 
people. 


10  Dillon  County  Economic  and  Social 

The  first  divisiou  of  South  Caroliua  for  purposes  of  adminis- 
tration was  made  iu  1G82  when  the  province  was  divided  into 
three  counties,  Berkeley,  Colleton  and  Craven.  The  Pee  Dee  country 
was  included  in  the  latter.  The  Circuit  or  District  Act  of  1768 
divided  the  province  into  seven  judicial  districts  and  in  1785  each 
of  these  districts  was  subdivided  into  counties.  Georgetown  Dis- 
trict, of  which  this  section  was  a  part,  was  divided  into  four 
counties,  Wiuyaw,  Williamsljurg,  Kingston  and  Liberty.  Liberty 
County  was  changed  to  Marion  District  by  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature in  1798. 

Old  Marion  County  or  District,  named  for  the  partisan  leader 
Francis  Marion,  thereafter  remained  undivided,  for  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  years,  except  for  four  townships  talven  off  to 
form  a  part  of  Florence  County,  3889-90.  The  history  of  the 
territory  now  included  in  Dillon  County  has  therefore  been  in- 
timately connected  with  the  history  of  Marion  County.  We  have 
now  to  ti"y  and  separate  that  part  of  the  history  of  Marion  County 
which  pertains  to  our  immediate  section. 

From  Seller's  History  of  Marion  County  we  learn  that  such 
familiar  names  as  Rogers,  Gaddy,  Edwards,  Reaves,  McKenzie, 
Huggius,  Cottingham,  Braddy,  Clarlc,  Hamer,  Hayes,  Manning,  Harl- 
lee,  Stackhouse,  Bethea  and  many  others  as  well  known,  were  well  es- 
tablished in  Northern  Liberty  District  by  the  end  of  the  Revolution. 
During  that  struggle  no  battles  were  fought  in  what  is  now  Dillon 
County,  but  the  region  contributed  largely  to  those  who  took  an 
active  part  in  the  strife.  These  served  in  the  Pee  Dee  militia  and 
under  General  Francis  Marion.  The  nearest  engagement  between 
patriots  and  British  sympathizers  took  place  on  June  3,  1782,  at 
Bowling  Green  in  Marion  County,  three  miles  south  of  the  present 
Dillon  County  line.  The  feeling  between  Tories  and  patriots  was 
very  bitter  during  and  after  the  Revolution.  On  the  plantation 
formerly  owned  by  Mr.  Duncan  McLaurin  is  supposed  to  have 
occurred  the  hanging  of  the  Tory  Snowden  by  "Sweat  Swamp"  John 
Bethea.  Another  Tory  named  Grooms  was  banged  about  1780  on 
the  place  now  owned  by  Mr.  J.  W.  Hamer  near  Little  Rock. 

The  region  of  the  Pee  Dees  grew  very  little  for  some  time  after 
the  Revolution.  It  was  not  affected  to  any  extent  by  the  war  of 
1812  and  took  not  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  national  and  even 
state  affairs.  This  was  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  the  entire 
Pee  Dee  country  was  practically  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  state 
by  a  wide  river  bounded  on  both  sides  by  dense  swamps  more  than  a 
mile  in  width.  But  there  was  a  deep  interest  taken  in  the  approach- 
ing conflict  between  the  Confederacy  and  the  Union  because  many 


Dillon  County  Economic  and  Social  11 

Pee  Dee  planters  possessed  large  numbers  of  slaves  and  these 
planters  faced  great  losses  should  the  war  be  lost. 

The  leader  of  the  nuUifiers  in  this  section  was  Colonel  Thomas 
Harllee  who  was  delegate  to  the  State  Nullification  Convention 
in  1S32.  As  part  of  the  state  militia  organized  to  defend  the  ordi- 
nace  of  uuUihcation  a  battalliou  was  formed  of  recruits  from  High 
Hill,  Maiden  Down  and  Berry's  Cross  Koads,  all  in  upper  Marion 
County,  territory  now  a  part  of  Dillon  County. 

To  the  call  for  volunteers  made  at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
war,  High  Hill  and  Harlleesville,  now  Little  Rock,  furnished  a 
company  called  the  "Spartan  Band"  which  was  captained  by  E.  T. 
Stackhouse.  This  company  was  the  only  company  made  up  entirely 
of  upper  Marion  County  men,  altho  it  by  no  means  contained  all 
the  men  wlio  went  into  service  from  this  section.  The  wnr 
brought  to  the  front  in  Colonel  E.  T.  Stackhouse  who  went  thru 
the  war  to  Appomattox  and  came  out  lieutenant  colonel  of  his 
regiment,  probably  the  greatest  man  this  community  has  ever  pro- 
duced. He  was  twice  elected  to  the  Legislature  and  twice  made 
president  of  the  State  Farmer's  Alliance.  In  1890  he  was  over- 
whelmingly elected  to  the  United   States  Congress. 

In  the  registration  of  voters  in  South  Carolina  made  during  the 
radical  regime,  following  the  war,  exactly  one  hundred  more  whites 
than  negroes  were  registered  in  Marion  County.  The  reverse 
was  the  case  in  every  other  county  in  the  state.  General  Wade 
Hampton  at  the  head  of  about  five  hundred  mounted  whites  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  mounted  negroes,  in  his  tour  of  the  state  In 
1876,  spoke  on  September  20  at  Reedy  Creek  Church  and  at  Little 
Rock.  In  the  election  of  State  officers  which  followed,  about  twelve 
hundred  votes  were  cast  in  upper  Marion  County  for  Hampton 
and  about  seven  hundred  for  his  opponent,  the  radical  governor 
Chamberlain. 

Up  to  ISuO  the  entire  northeastern  part  of  the  State  was  without 
railroad  facilities  and  had  to  depend  upon  the  old  and  slow  method 
of  private  conveyance.  But  between  1853  and  1854  the  Wilmington 
and  Manchester  Railroad  was  built  from  Wilmington,  going  by- 
Marion  and  Sumter  and  joining  the  Camden  branch  of  the  old  South 
Carolina  Railroad.  This  road  meant  more  than  we  can  imagine  in 
the  development  of  Marion  County.  In  the  early  seventies  the  old 
Manchester  road  from  Sumter  to  Columbia  was  built,  the  name 
becoming  the  Wilmington  and  Columbia.  It  gave  a  direct  road  from 
Columbia  to  the  North  by  Florence,  Marion  and  Wilmington. 

In  1890  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line  w^hich  owned  and  operated  the 
road  from  Columbia  to  Wilmington  and  on  north,  decided  to  develop 


12  Dillon  CoirNxv  Economic  and  Social 

an  important  section  of  North  Carolina  and  projected  a  road  from 
Wilson,  North  Carolina  down  by  Fayetteville  and  extending  thru 
Marion  County.  It  connected  witli  the  Wilmington  and  Columbia  line 
nuiking  a  direct  line  to  important  i>oints  both  North  and  South. 
Engineers  reported  that  it  would  require  a  curve  of  four  miles  to  go 
by  Marion  and  that  town  was  asked  to  pay  for  the  expense  of 
making  the  detour.  When  this  was  refused,  Marion  was  left  to 
one  side  and  the  "Wilson  Short  Cut,"  as  it  is  called,  made  a  junction 
with  the  Columbia  and  Wilmington  near  the  Pee  Dee  River.  The 
Wilson  Short  Cut  traversed  the  entire  upper  half  of  the  county 
and  the  towns  of  Dillon  and  Latta  at  once  .sprang  up  and  grew 
rapidly.  The  entire  upper  section  found  it  easier  to  conduct  busi- 
ness and  they  were  saved  the  long  hauls  over  sandy  roads  to 
Marion  Courthouse.  Commercially  the  county  w'as  divided  into 
tw^o  parts,  the  trade  of  the  upper  portion  going  to  Dillon  and  that 
of  the  lower  portion  going  to  Marion. 

The  coming  of  the  railroad  was  therefore  the  greatest  single 
influence  underlying  the  movement  for  a  new  county.  In  addition 
to  this,  old  Marion  County  extended  seventy-five  miles  from  the 
upper  to  the  lower  end.  It  was  too  large  for  proper  administration. 
Again  it  was  claimed  that  lands  in  the  proposal  new  county, although 
much  less  than  one-half  of  the  tot-il  county  area,  furnished  more 
than  one-half  of  the  total  revenue  which  went  largely  toward  the 
improvement  of  the  lower  part.  This  last  fact  caused  feeling  to  run 
high  in  the  upper  part  of  the  county  and  there  was  an  attempt  to 
join  Marlboro  County.  This,  however,  failed..  A  new  county  at 
that  time  was  almost  impossible  because  the  constitution  of  1SG8  re- 
quired a  new  county  to  contain  six  hundre<l  and  twenty-five  .square 
miles. 

But  when  the  constitutional  convention  of  1895  provided  for 
smaller  counties  by  fixing  a  minimum  of  four  hundred  square  miles 
for  the  new  county  and  five  hundred  square  miles  for  the  old, 
those  who  desired  a  new  county  in  upper  Marion  County  began  a 
strenuous  movement  for  its  formation.  To  Dr.  J.  H.  David,  Captain 
A.  T.  Ilarllee  and  Dr.  T.  J.  Weatlr.n-ly  belon-^s  the  honor  of  initiat- 
ing the  movement.  After  a  great  deal  of  agitation  an  election 
was  held  on  January  12,  1897,  which  went  against  the  new  county 
project.  It  was  ascertained  that  unfair  and  questionable  methods 
had  been  practiced  and  an  appeal  was  made  to  the  Legislature 
for  another  election.  A  new  election  was  granted  on  April  16,  1898, 
and  the  new  county  polled  a  large  majority  of  the  votes  cast.  But 
the  old  county  was  not  yet  ready  to  lose  its  most  prosperous  sec- 
tion  and   (■:irri(Ml  tlie  proceedings  to  the  State  Supreme  Coui't.     No 


Dillon  Col  ntv  :  Kco.nomk;  and  So<ial  18 

decision  was  ever  made  l)y  tliat  body  relative  to  the  lej^ality  of  the 
election  for  the  proposed  new  county  of  Dillon,  but  a  decision  made 
in  the  similar  case  of  Lee  County  was  so  adverse  to  the  conten- 
tions of  new  county  supporters  that  the  case  for  Dillon  was  dropped. 

Another  election  was  held  on  January  IG,  11J02,  and  again  there 
was  an  exciting  contest  which  resulted  in  another  defeat  for  the 
new  county  which  lacked  only  one  hundred  and  thirty  votes  of  having 
the  required  majority.  liefore  the  forth  election  there  was  a  great 
deal  of  contention  regarding  the  question  of  territory.  Old  county  sup- 
porters did  not  believe  that  the  proposed  new  county  contained  four 
hundred  square  miles.  Much  time  was  spent  in  wrangling  over  this 
issue  which  has  since  been  proven  foolish  for  the  United  States 
Census  of  1920,  gives  Dillon  County  471  stjuare  miles  and  Marion 
County   529  square  miles. 

In  the  fourth  election  of  December  4,  1909,  a  complete  victory  for 
the  new  county  was  won  and  the  long  fight  lasting  from  1894  was 
over.  The  new  county  was  named  Dillon  after  Mr.  J.  W.  Dillon,  one 
of  the  county's  oldest  and  most  popular  citizens.  The  act  creating 
the  county  was  passed  by  the  Legislature  and  signed  by  Governor 
Ansel  on  February  5,  1910.  And  thus  was  Dillon,  the  forty  third 
county,  established. 

No  county  in  the  state  responded  more  quielily  and  fully  than 
Dillon  County  to  the  needs  of  the  country  during  the  recent  world 
war.  About  six  hundred  and  thirty  men  were  furnished  for  army 
and  navy  service.  Lieutenant  John  H.  David,  Jr.,  of  Dillon  was 
the  first  South  Carolina  officer  to  fall  in  France.  Three  Dillon 
County  volunteers.  Lieutenant  A.  F.  Carter,  Lieutenant  R.  L.  Lane, 
and  Private  Jesse  Evans,   were  decorated  for  consi)icuous  service. 

Our  short  history  as  a  county,  with  the  exception  of  the  part 
played  by  our  citizens  in  the  World  War,  is  devoid  of  political 
happenings  of  marked  significance  but  our  progress  along  social  and 
economic  lines  has  been  very  remarkable  indeed  as  the  following 
chapters  will  show. 


II. 
DILLON  COUNTY  TOWNS 


Dillon 


The  story  of  Dillon's  development  since  the  town  was  established 
in  1887,  if  told  in  detail,  would  read  like  a  page  from  the  Ai-abian 
Nights.  It  is  what  might  be  appropriately  termed  a  "magic  city." 
Until  the  coming  of  the  railroad  in  1887  the  present  site  of  Dillon 
and  the  surrounding  country  was  a  vast  wilderness,  the  nearest  trad- 
ing point  being  Little  Rock,  four  miles  distant,  then  a  small  place 
with  one  or  two  stores  and  half  a  dozen  residences.  The  only  town 
of  any  importance  was  Marion,  about  twenty  miles  distant,  reached 
by  cart  paths  which  blazed  a  trail  thru  the  primeval  forests  which 
have  since  been  converted  into  fertile  fields  on  which  stand  beauti- 
ful homes.  Tradition  holds  that  the  business  section  of  Main  Street, 
now  covered  with  eight  inches  of  concrete  paving,  was  once  a 
popular  fishing  ground  and  yielded  a  bountiful  supply  of  trout,  red 
breast  and  bream. 

It  was  in  December  1887,  that  the  railroad  known  as  the  "Wilson 
Short  Cut,"  under  construction  from  Pee  Dee  to  Fayetteville,  N.  C, 
reached  Dillon.  In  the  month  following,  January  1888,  the  first 
depot  was  erected.  The  depot  was  a  crude  wooden  building,  as 
compared  with  the  modern  one  there  today,  but  it  served  the  rail- 
road patrons  at  this  point  for  many  years.  About  the  year  1005 
the  wooden  building  was  moved  across  the  street  where  it  is  still 
used  as  a  freight  station  and  a  modern  passenger  station  was 
erected  in  its  place. 

Dillon's  first  settlers  were  the  Moore  Brothers,  Donald,  William 
Robert,  James  and  Edward,  who  operated  a  store  in  connection  with 
a  tuiTentine  still ;  and  Duncan  Mcljaurin,  who  opened  a  general  mer- 
chandise store  and  was  Dillon's  first  mayor.  Then  came  Carey 
Edens,  Colin  Edens,  John  W.  McKay,  A.  D.  Bracy,  Tom  Crump, 
S.  S.  Rosier,  J.  E.  Sprunt,  Dr.  J.  P.  Ewing,  Eli  Davis,  Levi  Jackson, 
W.  T.  Bethea,  E.  T.  Elliot,  Dr.  J.  H.  David,  F.  B.  David,  J.  W. 
Smith,  S.  Seigler,  W.  J.  Carter,  J.  W.  Dillon  and  T.  A.  Dillon. 
Tliese  last  two  composed  the  firm  of  J.  W.  Dillon  &  Son  which 
for  many  years  was  the  largest  mercantile  establishment  in  this 
section.  Altho  the  elder  Dillon  did  not  move  to  Dillon  until  some 
time  after  the  coming  of  the  railroad,  it  was  largely  thru  his 
efforts    that    the    railroad    was    brought    thru    this    section    and    the 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  15 

town  was  also  named  in  his  honor.  Me  was  also  active  in  the 
fifteen  year  fight  for  the  establishment  of  Dillon  County,  con- 
tributing largely  of  his  means,  and  finally  when  the  election  ca-'-itni 
in  favor  of  the  new  county  lie  gave  .$"jr>,000  in  casli  toward  the 
erection  of  the  court  house.  As  an  expression  of  gratitude  for  his 
efforts  in  behalf  of  the  establishment  of  the  county,  the  new  county 
was  named  in  his  honor. 

Tlie  first  school  was  built  in  the  year  188!)  and  the  first  teacher 
was  Miss  Kate  McQueen.  The  building  was  soon  displaced  by  a 
brick  building  and  some  years  later  the  present  modern  building 
was  erecttHl,  being  at  the  time  one  of  the  best  .school  buildings 
in  the  State. 

The  Methodist  church  was  organized  in  1889,  this  being  Dillon's 
first  church.  A  short  while  later  the  Baptist  church  was  built, 
then  came  the  Presbyterian  church  and  a  few  years  later  the  Episco- 
palians erected  their  own  house  of  worship.  Each  of  these  denomi- 
nations now  have  large  handsome  churches. 

Begining  in  18S7,  by  1890  the  town  had  a  population  of  87. 
In  the  next  decade  it  had  increased  to  1,015  persons  and  by  1910 
there  were  1,757  inhabitants  in  Dillon.  The  census  of  1920  gives 
2,205  as  the  total  population.  With  such  a  good  beginning  the  town 
bids  fair  to  develop  right  early  into  a  Pee  Dee  city.  Dillon's  future 
is  assured  for  it  has  behind  it  some  of  the  best  farming  lands  in 
the  State  of  South  Carolina.  The  entire  section  is  noted  for  the 
richness  and  fertility  of  its  soils. 

These  fertile  lauds  have  yielded  an  enormous  toll  of  wealth, 
yet  unlike  many  other  sections,  much  of  this  wealth  has  been  given 
back  to  the  soil  enriching  it  from  year  to  year  until  today  there 
are  thousands  of  acres  maintained  at  the  highest  point  of  pro- 
ductivity. Altho  some  of  these  lands  are  held  at  from  one  hundred 
to  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre,  it  is  said  that  the  only  way 
they  can  be  acquired  is  either  to  marry  or  inherit  them. 

An  event  of  considerable  importance  in  the  growth  of  Dillon  was 
the  coming  of  the  Seaboard  Air  Line  Railroad  in  ir;09.  The  rond 
comes  into  Dillon  County  from  Clio  passing  thru  Minturn,  Little 
Rock,  Dillon  and  Mullins.  It  affords  a  direct  line  of  transportation 
with  Hamlet,  N.  C,  to  the  north  and  Charleston  and  Jacksonville 
to  the  south. 

While  agricultural  .surroundings  forbid  highly  developed  indus- 
tries, nevertheless,  Dillon  is  making  a  great  deal  of  progress  in 
this  direction.  Just  outside  of  the  town  are  two  textile  mills 
which,  together  with  a  mill  at  Ilamer,  is  incorporated  under  the 
name   of   the   Dillon   Mills.     The   Dillon   Oil    Mill,   a    branch   of  the 


16  Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social 

Southern  Cotton  Oil  Company,  and  tbe  Carolina  Milling  Company 
are  two  of  the  town's  leading  industries.  The  town  owns  its  own 
water  system  and  lighting  plant.  Besides  the  three  banks  and 
a  printing  establishment  there  are  numerous  retail  and  wholesale 
houses. 

This  in  brief  covers  the  early  history  of  Dillon.  Volumes  could 
be  written  if  we  had  the  space  at  our  disposal  to  bring  the  history 
of  the  "magic  city"  up-to-date.  It  is  one  of  the  leading  towns  of 
Eastern  Carolina,  and  as  John  Paul  Jones  told  the  Baptist  admiral, 
"we  have  just  begun  to  fight,"  so  have  we  "just  begun  to  grow." 

Latta. 

Latta  is  the  second  town  in  the  county  in  the  number  of  in- 
habitants, ranking  after  Dillon  in  that  respect.  It  is  situated  in 
the  heart  of  an  excellent  farming  community  and  has  always 
identified  itself  with  every   progressive  county  movement. 

The  town  was  named  for  an  official  in  the  old  so-called  Wilson 
Short  Cut  Railroad  when  that  line  was  being  built  thru  upper 
Marion  County.  As  a  result  of  the  coming  of  this  railroad  the 
little  town  sprang  up  and  grew  rapidly.  It  had  its  beginning 
about  1888  when  W.  W.  George  built  a  store  and  dwelling  within 
the  present  borders  of  the  town.  This  man  was  responsible  for 
a  great  deal  of  Latta's  eai'ly  development  and  probably  did  more 
than  any  other  one  man  to  build  up  the  town. 

The  population  of  Latta  rose  from  4G7  in  inOO  to  1,358  by  1910. 
The  census  of  1920,  however,  shows  a  decrease,  the  town  in  that 
year  having  oi>ly  1,079.  Its  rapid  growth  during  the  decade  before 
the  formation  of  Dillon  County  was  due  in  large  measure  to  its 
excellent  railroad  facilities.  A  spur  from  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line 
connects  Latta  and  Clio.  This  spur  is  popularly  called  the  Latta 
Branch. 

The  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Presbyterian  denominations  have 
become  firmly  establishe<l  in  this  community.  They  each  have  hand- 
some church  buildings  and  services  are  well  attended.  The  negroes 
also  have  their  churches.  In  the  last  few  years  Latta  has  added 
to  her  school  facilities  so  that  now  she  possesses  a  thoroly  modern 
and  well  equipped  school  building.  The  education  of  the  colored 
children  is  also  well  provided  for. 

In  her  public  library,  Latta  boasts  what  no  other  town  in  the 
county  possesses.  It  stands  as  a  ti-ibute  to  the  untiring  efforts  of 
the  Reverend.  W.  C.  Allen  who  more  than  any  one  else  was  respon- 
sible for  its  construction  in  1914.  Tlie  lot  was  public  spiritedly 
donated    by    Mr.    Carl    Bass.      The    library    itself    is    a    gift    of    the 


Dillon  County:  Ecx)nomic  and  Social  17 

Carnejiie  Library  Fund  and  cost  $5,000.  The  people  of  the  town 
contribute  10  per  cent  of  this  amount  yearly  toward  its  sui)port 
by  means  of  a  one  mill  tax  levy.  Miss  T.  C.  McGee,  Mrs.  Ada 
Edwards  and  Mrs.  Messie  Braddy  have  successively  served  as 
librarians. 

Because  of  its  agricultural  surroundings,  Latta;  has  few  in- 
dustrial enterprises.  The  town  owns  and  maintains  thru  the 
Commission  of  Public  Works  its  lighting  plant.  A  grist  mill 
is  owned  and  operatetl  by  T.  O.  Solomon.  Mr.  J.  K.  Cobb  runs 
a  mineral  and  soda  water  plant.  There  are  two  banks,  three  drug 
stores,  a  tobacco  warehouse  and  many  other  wholesale  and  retail 
establishments. 

■  Latta  has  long  been  noted  as  a  leading  tobacco  section  and  that 
crop  is  extensively  grown  on  the  outlying  farms.  In  its  early  days 
a   tobacco  stenunerj'  was  operate<l   there. 

Lake    View. 

Lake  View  is  a  thriving  town  of  about  eight  hundred  inhabitants. 
Although  it  has  existed  as  a  town  only  fifteen  years,  it  ranks  third  in 
the  county  in  size  and  importance,  Dillon  and  Latta  being  the  only 
ones  surpassing  it.  It  is  now  growing  fast  and  many  new  homes  are 
being  erected  each  year  to  acconunodate  the  increasing  population. 

Lake  View  was  originally  called  Page's  Mill.  This  name  does 
not  indicate  a  manufacturing  town,  but  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
first  I)uilding  near  the  present  town  site  was  a  grist  mill  owned 
by  Joseph  N.  Page.  Its  motor  power  was  furnished  by  a  large 
artificial  pond,  or  lake  from  w'hich  the  town  received  its  present 
name.  The  pond  and  mill  now  belong  to  Mrs.  L.  W.  Temple,  daughter 
of  the  original  owner.  Most  of  the  land  upon  which  the  town  is 
built  at  first  belonged  to  D.  K.  and  W.  J.  Ford.  The  present 
railroad  was  built  in  1900.  It  is  the  Raleigh  and  Charleston  line, 
a  branch  of  the  Seaboard,  and  connects  the  towns  of  Marion  and 
Ltnnberton,  N.  C.  After  this  construction  the  town  began  to  spring 
up.  It  grew  rather  slowly  but  steadily  until  1007,  when  it  received 
a  charter  and  was  incorporated  as  a  town. 

The  volume  of  business  transacted  at  this  time  was  necessarily 
small.  At  an  early  date,  however,  the  town  showed  an  astonishing 
tendency  to  have  a  number  of  stores  entirely  out  of  proportion 
to  its  population.  This  was  chiefly  due  to  the  large  country  trade, 
which  Lake  View  still  enjoys.  The  stores  and  other  business  in- 
stitutions gradually  increased  in  number.  In  1910  the  Bank  of 
Lake  View  was  established,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000. 


18  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

The  children  of  the  commimity  at  first  had  to  attend  a  country 
school  about  a  mile  from  town.  This  was  kept  in  a  wooden  build- 
ing and  employed  only,  one  or  two  teachers.  Later  it  was  moved  to 
town.  The  lower  grades  were  taught  in  a  small  wooden  building  owned 
by  J.  T.  Hankins ;  the  higher  ones  in  the  upper  story  of  a  drug  store 
belonging  to  Dr.  Maxcy  Smith.  The  school  labored  under  these 
dilTiculties  until,  in  1911,  a  new  building  was  erected.  This  was 
a  modern  brick  structure,  with  a  Iieating  plant,  six  comfortable 
class-rooms,  and  an  auditorium.  The  number  of  students  was  fairly 
large,  averaging  about  two  hundretl  enrolled.  Since  the  advent  of 
compulsory  education,  the  enrollment  has  increased  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  make  additions  to  the  build- 
ing. Four  more  class-rooms  were  built  last  year  and  a  new  steam- 
heating  plant  installed.  The  number  of  teachers  has  been  increased 
to  nine.  The  high  school  grades  of  Union  and  Kemper  have  been 
con.solidated  with  those  of  Lake  View  and  their  students  ai"e 
brought  every  morning  in  trucks.  A  department  of  music  has 
recently  been  created  and  departments  of  domestic  science  and 
manual  training  will  probably  be  added  next  year.  The  school 
is  making  rapid  forward  strides  under  Prof.  J.  B.  Thorn,  who  is 
now  its  principal. 

Lake  View  now  has  thi'ee  churches,  one  Baptist,  one  Methodist 
and  one  Pentecostal  Holiness.  None  of  the  denominations  had  a 
building  at  first  and  the  members  attended  churches  out  of  town. 
Soon,  however,  the  Baptists  began  to  have  Sunday  school  and 
preaching  services  in  the  little  building  occupied  by  the  lower  grades 
of  the  public  .school ;  the  Methodists  used  the  rooms  occupied  by  the 
higher  grades  for  the  same  purpose.  In  1911,  the  same  year  that 
the  new  school  house  was  built,  both  denominations  were  strong 
enough  to  build  churches  of  their  own.  They  have  since  thrived 
steadily.  Each  one  now  owns  a  handsome  parsonage.  The  Baptists 
have  a  membership  of  two  hundred  and  ten,  with  Rev.  W,  H. 
Simpson  as  pastor ;  the  Methodists,  a  membership  of  one  hundred  and 
forty,  with  Rev.  S.  E.  Ledbetter  as  pastor.  Each  of  these  preachers 
serves  one  or  two  other  churches  outside  of  town.  The  churches 
play  quite  an  important  part  in  the  social  life  of  the  community. 
The  Holiness  church  has  been  established  in  very  recent  years 
and  its  membership  is  small. 

One  of  the  chief  things  about  Lake  View  is  its  tobacco  trade. 
During  the  summer  months  especially,  this  is  the  town's  chief  in- 
dustry. There  are  now  three  large  warehouses  there,  the  Liberty, 
the  New  Farmers',  and  the  Planters'.  The  first  one  established  was 
tlic   PiMiitcrs'.  which   was  built   in   1912.     It  belongs   to   L.   Q.  Miller, 


DiLi/ON  County  :  Economic  and  Social  19 

a  citizen  of  the  town.  Tlie  other  two,  which  were  built  later,  are 
in  the  hands  of  stock  companies,  formed  of  business  men  and 
farmers  of  the  surrounding  community.  While  the  Lake  View 
market  does  not  handle  so  much  tobacco  as  some  of  the  others, 
it  is  always  a  good  market  for  prices  and  a  few  years  ago  averaged 
the  highest  selling  price  of  all  markets  in  this  state.  All  the 
larger  tobacco  companies  are  represented  by  buyers  and  bidding  on 
the  floor  is  usually  brisk. 

Lake  View  has  quite  a  number  of  business  institutions  for  a 
town  of  its  size.  While  the  number  of  dwelling  houses  is  about 
one  hundred,  there  are  perhaps  twenty-five  stores  in  the  town, 
a  very  large  proportion.  Of  this  number,  two  are  drug  stores, 
two  are  hardware  establishments,  seven  handle  dry  goods,  eight, 
groceries,  and  four  or  more,  general  merchandise.  In  addition  to 
these  there  are  two  banks,  the  Bank  of  Lake  View,  R.  S.  Rogerw, 
president,  which  is  capitalized  at  $50,000;  and  the  Union  Bank 
and  Trust  Company.  Iliniard  Rogers,  president,  which  has  a  capital 
stock  of  $25,000.  The  town  also  has  two  up-to-date  garages  and 
a  modern  electric  shoe  shop.  A  point  of  special  interest  is  the 
Palmetto  Hotel,  a  new  three-story  brick  structure,  which  was  com- 
pleted only  last  year  and  cost  $50,000  to  erect.  It  is  fitted  with  all 
modern  conveniences  and  is  the  equal,  if  not  the  superior,  of  any 
in  the  county.  Another  corporation,  only  recently  organizea.  Is 
the  Lake  View  Light  and  Power  Company,  which  furnishes  elec- 
tricity for  the  town.  The  machinery  is  run  by  water  power  and 
for  this  purpose  the  mill  pond  has  been  leased  for  a  period  of  ten 
years.  Lake  View  has  not,  as  yet,  a  system  of  water  works, 
though  they  are  contemplated  in  the  near  future. 

A  striking  feature  of  most  of  Lake  View's  business  enterprises 
is  their  co-operative  character.  They  are  generally  owned,  not  by 
any  individual,  but  by  corporations  formed  by  the  citizens  of  the 
town  and  the  surrounding  community.  Both  of  the  banks,  two 
of  the  tobacco  warehouses,  the  Palmetto  Hotel,  the  Electric  Light 
and  Power  Company  are  all  controlled  by  groups  of  stockholders. 
This  is  due  not  so  much  to  a  lack  of  individual  capital  as  to  the 
desire  for  cooperation  in  business  affairs.  On  the  whole  this  plan 
works  well,  as  any  benefit  derived  fi-om  these  enterprises  is  shared 
by  the  community,  and  public  Interest  in  ihem  is  aroused. 

The  social  life  of  the  community  is  by  no  means  neglected.  The 
churches  and  the  school  play  a  large  part  in  bringing  the  people 
together.  The  E.  Y.  P.  U.  in  the  Baptist  church,  the  Woman's 
Missionary   Society  in  the  Methodist,  and  the  Home  Demonstration 


20  Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social 

Club,  in  counection  with  tlie  school,  are  especially  valuable  along 
this  line. 

Lake  View  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  about  a 
mile  from  the  North  Carolina  line.  Around  it  are  some  of  the 
richest  farming  lands  in  this  state.  While  cotton  and  tobacco  are 
the  two  staple  products,  the  soil  is  capable  of  producing  a  wide 
variety  of  crops  and  is  well  adapted  to  truck  farming.  A  large 
amount  of  trade  is  brought  to  the  town  from  a  radius  of  ten 
miles  around,  and  thus  greatly  increases  its  business.  Lake  View 
itself  is  a  rather  pretty  town,  with  a  handsome  residence  section 
and  a  goodly  number  of  fine  brick  stores.  The  pond  on  the  edge 
of  the  town  has  many  of  the  beauties  of  natural  lake  scenery,  which 
add  greatly  to  its  attractiveness. 

Lalie  View  is  still  a  growing  town.  Its  population  is  steadily  in- 
creasing every  year.  Its  advantages  are  many  and  it  offers  ad- 
mirable opportunities  to  the  home-seeker.  Its  business  enterprises 
are  rapidly  increasing  in  number  and  in  magnitude.  It  has  thus 
far  developed  remarkably  for  its  age,  and  bids  fair  in  the  future 
to    surpass    its   previous    record. 

Little  Rock. 

In  the  richest  section  of  one  of  the  finest  agricultural  counties 
of  the  South  stands  a  rock,  and  on  this  rock  is  written :  "Little 
Rock,  S.  C."  To  most  Carolinians  no  further  introduction  is  nec- 
essary ;  for  who  has  not  heard  of  the  hospitality  of  its  people  and 
the  splendid  farming  lands  of  this  section? 

The  Seaboard  Air  Line  Railroad  between  Charleston  and  Hamlet 
runs  through  the  town.  Little  Rock  is  one  of  the  few  towns  in 
the  State  in  which  the  railroad  came  to  the  town  instead  of  the  town's 
going  to  the  railroad.  The  town  is  in  the  central  part  of  Harllees- 
ville  Township,'  which  is  in  the  northern  part  of  Dillon  County. 
Little  Pee  Dee  River  is  just  about  a  mile  from  the  town. 

The  history  of  Little  Rock  begins  soon  after  the  Revolutionary 
War,  when  Thomas  Harllee  moved  from  Virginia  and  settled  where 
Harlleesville  Bridge  now  is.  He  first  engaged  in  building  flats  and 
boats  which  he  sold  to  the  rice  planters.  He  built  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  a  store  which  he  filled  with  goods  that  were  brought 
up  the  river  from  Georgetown.  Here  the  farmers  came  from  miles 
around  to  do  tlieir  trading.  At  that  time  there  was  no  other  store 
within  twenty  miles  of  this  one.  A  few  years  later  another  store 
was  built  nearby.  Just  before  the  War  of  Secession  the  present 
site  of  Little  Rock  was  selected  for  a  town.  It  derived  its  name 
from  a  large  rock  which  still  stands  in  the  town.     Behind  this  rock 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  21 

was  placed  a  brass  cannon  of  a  four-inch  bore.  This  cannon  was 
used  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  On  holidays  it  was  fired  and 
also  after  many  weddini^s  in  the  coiiunuiiity.  This  cannon  disap- 
peare<l  during  the  War  of  Secession. 

During  this  war  the  Confederate  Government  had  a  commissary 
here  for  the  storing  of  food  for  the  Confederate  Army.  There 
was  also  a  cloth  factory  not  very  far  from  the  commissary.  The 
cotton  thread  was  brought  from  Kichmond  County,  N.  C,  and 
woven  into  cloth.  The  dye  from  this  cloth  was  made  from  the 
baric  of  trees  that  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  Bishop  Asbury 
established  a  Methodist  church  here  about  the  year  178G.  It  was 
built  of  logs  and  served  the  purpose  of  a  church  for  many  years. 
It  was  known  as  Liberty  Chapel.  This  was  the  first  Methodist 
church  established  in  Dillon  County.  The  present  church  building 
was  erected  about  1S71. 

Little  Rock  boasts  of  the  first  school  established  in  Dillon  County. 
For  sometime  school  was  taught  in  the  church.  Later  a  log  build- 
ing was  constructed.  This  was  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  This  building  at  first  consisted  of  one  room,  but  the  pupils 
became  so  numerous  that  another  room  had  to  be  added.  Split 
logs  with  pegs  placed  in  them  served  as  seats.  These  seats  had 
no  backs.  Pegs  were  placed  in  the  walls,  and  a  board,  which  lay 
upon  them,  was  used  as  a  writing  desk.  A  log  was  taken  from 
the  side  of  the  building,  and  this  opening  served  as  a  window.  A 
brick  chimney  with  a  board  fireplace  amply  filled  with  logs  kept 
the  children  warm  in  the  winter.  About  1870  another  building 
was  constructed.  It  consisted  of  two  rooms.  At  that  time  it  was 
the  best  school  building  in  this  section  of  the  state.  It  is  still 
standing,  but  is  used  as  a  tenant  house. 

Mr.  Sellers  in  his  History  of  Marion  County  says  of  the  first 
school  and  its  people;  "It  has  told  upon  the  intelligence  and  high 
standing  of  that  community.  Its  teachers  have  generally  been  men 
of  learning,  character,  and  scholarly  ability.  It  has  awakened  a 
spirit  of  industrial  arts,  perhaps,  unsurpassed  anywhere.  It  has 
moulded  character — high  cliaracter — in  I)()th  male  and  female.  It 
has  energized  its  citizens  and  made  tliem  the  peer  of  the  citizens 
of  any  community.  They  have  no  cause  to  blush  when  they  say 
'I  am  from  Little  Rock'."  Out  fi'om  this  school  district  have  gone 
bankers,  statesmen,  doctors,  lawyers,  ministers,  missionaries,  mer- 
chants, nurses,  planters,  teachers,  and  men  and  women  in  every 
walk  of  life  all  of  whom  have  nnide  great  successes  in  their  lines 
or  professions  and  who  are  proud  to  say,  "I  am  from  Little  Rock." 

The  present  building  was  built  in  1!)14.     It  is  one  that  any  com- 


22  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

munity  should  be  proud  of.  It  is  a  two-story  brick  building 
with  six  large  classrooms,  two  offices,  and  a  large  auditorium. 
One  of  the  rooms  is  used  as  a  domestic  science  room  and  another 
as  a  library.  The  classrooms  are  well  equipped  with  modern  desks, 
black-boards  and  maps.  The  modern  auditorium  with  its  opera 
seats,  stage,  piano,  and  gas  lights  is  a  thing  of  beauty.  At  present 
there  are  four  teachers  in  the  school  and  an  enrollment  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-six  boys  and  sixty  girls. 

A  splendid  new  building  for  the  negroes  has  just  been  completed. 

In  addition  to  the  buildings  mentioned  above,  Little  Rock  today 
consists  of  a  Baptist  church  and  Presbyterian  church,  also  three 
negro  churches,  a  large  ginnery,  two  livei'y  stables,  a  post  office, 
a  depot,  a  bank,  a  blacksmith's  shop,  a  dozen  stores,  several  garages, 
and  warehouses.  The  town  is  well  laid  off,  and  the  streets  are  kept 
in  good  shape.     The  present  population  is  about  three  hundred. 

Just  outside  of  the  town  limits  there  is  a  large  planer  mill  that 
prepares  for  building  materials  the  vast  quantity  of  lumber  that  is 
cut  in  the  nearby  woods. 

The  interest  of  Little  Rock  is  very  closely  interwoven  with  the 
interest  of  the  surrounding  country  so  that  failure  to  deal  with 
the  superb  farms  surrounding  would  render  this  account  incomplete. 

The  farms  of  this  township  are  among  the  best  in  the  entire 
south.  It  has  been  estimated  that  seven  thousand  bales  of  cotton 
are  grown  in  it.  In  addition  to  cotton,  large  fields  of  grain,  hay, 
tobacco  and  corn  are  grown.  The  soil,  which  is  of  a  sandy  loam,  is 
well  adapted  to  fruit — especially  to  peaches.  The  district  is  well 
drained  by  the  Little  Pee  Dee  River.  The  oldest  inhabitants  can 
not  recall  a  year  in  which  this  section  has  ever  had  a  crop  failure 
on  account  of  too  much  rain  or  on  account  of  a  drought. 

The  farm  homes  are  a  credit  to  any  community.  Many  of  them 
are  equipped  with  water  works  and  lights.  The  yards  are  well 
kept ;  the  barns  are  of  a  modern  type  and  are  filled  with  grain ;  the 
gardens  furnish  fresh  vegetables  all  the  year.  The  growing  crops 
are  so  intensively  cultivated  that  they  look  like  large  gardens.  The 
tenant  houses  are  well  built  and  their  occupants  are  contented. 
The  farmers  buy  as  fine  stock  as  money  can  purchase.  The  horses 
have  always  been  the  pride  of  the  community. 


III. 
NATURAL  RESOURCES  AND  INDUSTRIES 


EnGAR  T.  Thompson. 


Geography. 

Dillon  County  is  located  iu  the  coastal  plain  in  the  northeastern 
section  of  the  state.  It  ranks  39th  in  size  among  the  counties  of 
the  state  with  an  area  of  471  square  miles,  or  301,440  acres.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Robeson  County  and  by  Scotland 
County  at  its  extreme  northern  ape.K.  Both  of  these  counties  are 
in  North  Carolina.  On  the  west  it  is  bounded  by  Marlboro  County 
and  the  Great  Pee  Dee  River  by  which  it  is  separated  from  Florence 
County.  Marion  County  forms  the  southern  boundary ;  and  about  five 
miles  of  Dillon  County's  boundary  on  the  east  is  Horry  County. 
The  length  and  width  of  Dillon  County  are  approximately  2.5  and 
32  miles  respectively. 

The  land  is  well  drained  by  three  rivers  and  numerous  branches. 
The  Little  Pee  Dee  River  meanders  southward  thru  the  heart  of 
the  county.  The  Great  Pee  Dee  River  drains  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  county  while  the  southeast  corner  is  drained  by  the  Lumber 
River.  We  have  no  available  water  power  because  the  county  is 
below  the  fall  line.  The  county  is  generally  level  with  a  gradual 
slope  toward  the  coast  which  fact  makes  it  one  of  the  best  agri- 
cultural counties  in  the  state. 

Timber. 

The  1920  census  gives  08,416  acres  of  woodland  in  Dillon  County. 
This  is  22.7  per  cent  of  the  total  county  area  in  which  respect  we 
rank  33rd  among  the  counties.  Dillon  County  farms  are  38  per  cent 
woodland  and  in  this  our  rank  is  2.5th.  According  to  the  1910 
census  there  were  78,499  acres  of  woodland  in  the  count}'  in  that 
year.  This  was  26  per  cent  of  the  total  county  area  or  6.2  per 
cent  below  the  average  for  the  state. 

Our  timber  consists  chiefly  of  loblolly  pine  together  with  some 
long  leaf  pine.  We  also  have  small  amounts  of  cypress,  oak,  gum, 
ash,  and  poplar. 

No  statistics  as  to  the  amount  of  merchantable  timber  specific 
for  the  county  are  available.     The  1920  report  of  the  State  Commis- 


24  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

sioner  of  Agriculture  gives  $85,000  as  the  value  of  the  lumlier  and 
timber  products  for  that  year. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  timber  situation  in  the  state  as 
a  wliole.  In  1920  the  United  States  Forest  Service  recorded 
18,889,800,000  feet  as  the  stand  of  merchantable  pine  timber  in  South 
Carolina.  The  figure  for  190S  was  approximately  45,000,000,000 
feet.  Consumption  of  timber  over  the  country  as  a  whole  is  four 
times  the  annual  growth.  A  great  deal  of  this  is  absolute  waste, 
much  of  our  forest  being  ruthlessly  devastated  in  order  to  obtain 
choice  timber.  Foi*est  fires  are  the  cause  of  enormous  waste.  It  is 
time  we  were  taking  intelligent  steps  toward  the  proper  utilization 
and  conservation  of  our  forest  resources. 

Mineral  Deposits. 

The  mineral  deposits  of  Dillon  County  are  almost  negligible. 
Some  Fuller's  earth,  marl  and  brick  clay  are  found  but  they  never 
have  been  developed  to  any  appreciable  extent. 

Soils. 

Dillon  County  lies  partly  in  the  middle  Coastal  Plain  and  partly  in 
the  Atlantic  Flatwoods  soil  belts  of  the  Southern  States.  The  pre- 
vailing types  of  soils  of  these  divisions  belong  to  the  Coxville  and 
Norfolk  series.  These  two  soils,  in  all  their  varieties,  are  easily 
tilled  and  well  adapted  to  farming.  Those  of  the  Coxville  series 
are  dark  colored  sandy,  silty,  and  clay  soils  mottled  with  heavy 
clay  subsoils.  The  soils  of  the  Norfolk  series  are  grayish  sandy 
loams  with  yellow,  friable  subsoils. 

No  soil  survey  has  ever  been  made  in  Dillon  County  but  a  survey 
of  the  soils  of  Marlboro  County  would  indicate  the  presence  in 
Dillon  County  of  the  silt  and  sandy  loam  of  the  Coxville  series, 
and  the  course  sand,  and  sandy  loam  of  the  Norfolk  series.  The 
soil  survey  of  Robeson  Count.v,  North  Carolina,  would  indicate  the 
presence  of  sandy  loam  of  both  the  Norfolk  and  Portsmouth  series. 
The  soils  adjoining  the  Great  Pee  Dee  River  are  in  swamp  and  com- 
posed of  Norfolk  sand  according  to  the  Florence  County  soil  survey. 
The  same  is  true  of  the  soils  adjoining  the  Lumber  River  in  the  east- 
ern part  of  the  count.v.  There  are  a  large  number  of  different  soil  types 
in  Dillon  County.  The  most  important  and  best  developed  are  in- 
eluded  in  the  Norfolk,  Marlboro,  Portsmouth,  Ruston,  Orangeburg 
and  Coxville  series.  These  soils  for  agricultural  purposes  are 
among  the  best  in  the  United  States, 

Dillon  County  is  considered  one  of  the  best  developed  and  most 
extensively    farme<l    counties    in    the    South.      Her     soils     are    well 


w 


•Tl 


o 


D 


Dillon  Coi'nty  :  Economic  and  Social  25 

drained  and  devoted  iirincipally  to  the  itrodiiction  of  cotton.  Corn, 
tobacco  and  cowpeas  are  successfully  grown  and  a  few  fields  are 
devote<l  to  wheat  and  oats. 

The  best  drained  second  bottom  or  Pee  Dee  terrace  soils  are  the 
Amite  and  the  Kalniia.  These  are  devoted  to  the  same  crops  as 
the  upland  types.  The  first  bottom  lands  are  little  used  for 
agriculture  at  present.  Dillon  County  has  many  fine  grass  soils 
and  natural  pastures.  They  offer  an  excellent  oipportunity  for  the 
cattle  industry. 

Climate. 

The  climate  of  DilhMi  County  is  characterize<l  by  short  mild 
winters  and  long  summers  v.-ith  but  few  excessively  hot  days.  The 
average  yearly  temperature  is  about  62  degrees  Fahrenheit  and  the 
mean  annual  rainfall  is  about  50  inches.  The  rainfall  is  greatest 
during  the  spring  months  of  April  and  May.  There  is  very  little 
snow.  The  last  frosts  of  spring  come  about  the  29th  of  March 
and  the  first  killing  frost  of  fall  comes  about  the  15th  of  November 
giving  a  growing  season  of  about  220  days.  The  prevailing  winds 
are  fi'om  the  south  and  southwest. 

Industries. 

We  usually  think  that  Dillon  County  is  so  predominantly  agri- 
cultural  that  our  industries  play,  very  little  part  in  the  life  of  the 
people.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  the  value  of  our  manufac- 
turing industries  form  a  considerable  part  of  our  wealth.  The 
accompanying  table  shows  that  the  value  of  the  annual  manufac- 
tured i>rnducts  for  1020  was  $2,557,548  which  represented  an  increase 
of  more  than  250  per  cent  over  1012.  The  total  value  of  the  eleven 
leading  crops  of  the  county  for  the  same  year  was  $5,501,000. 
Tlie  value  of  the  cotton  crop  alone  was  $2,644,800  and  the  next 
leading  crop,  tobacco,  $1,302,300. 

The  Dillon  Mills. 

Textile  manufacturing  leads  all  other  industries  in  Dillon  County. 
We  rank  21st  among  the  counties  of  the  state  in  the  amount  of 
capital  invested  in  textile  manufacture  and  22nd  in  the  value  of 
the  annual  product.  The  three  mills  in  Dillon  County  have  a  com- 
bined capital  stock  of  $750,000  while  the  total  value  of  their  stock, 
plant  and  equipment  amounts  to  $1,218,751.  They  employ  .300  workmen 
and  have  an  estimated  annual  output  of  $1,600,000.  These  three 
mills,  the  Maple  Cotton  Mill,  the  Dillon  Cotton  Mill  and  the  Hamer 


26  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

Cotton   Mill   were  incorporated  in  lUll    under   the  name  of  Dillon 
Mills.     They  have  a  total  of  40,584  spindles. 

The  Dillon  Oil  Mill. 

The  Dillon  Oil  Mill,  a  branch  of  the  Southern  Cotton  Oil  Com- 
pany, was  built  in  1001  by  Dr.  J.  H.  David.  It  is  operated  in 
connection  with  a  cotton  gin  and  employs  about  100  men.  The 
average  pay  roll  is  about  $5,000.  In  1920  the  output  amounted  to 
400,000  gallons  of  cotton  seed  oil,  2,250  tons  of  hulls,  2,000  tons  of 
mixed  fertilizers,  45,000  tons  of  meal  and  1,666  bales  of  linters. 
The  value  of  these  products  amounted  to  approximately  $430,000. 
Tlie  capital  stock  of  the  mill  is  $i:^).O00. 

The  Carolina  Milling  Company. 

Our  largest  milling  enterprise,  the  Carolina  Milling  Company, 
was  organized  and  Iniilt  by  Dr.  Wade  Stackhouse  and  began  opera- 
tion in  1919.  The  equipment  consists  of  the  following :  fifty  barrel 
flour  mill,  twelve  hundred  bushel  meal  mill,  fifty  ton  molasses  feed 
plant  and  thirty  ton  chicken  feed  plant.  During  an  average  busy 
month  they  produce  10,000  bushels  of  corn  meal,  1250  barrels  of 
flour  and  1250  tons  of  feed  at  an  average  value  of  $78,000.  The 
authorized  capital  stock  is  $100,000. 

The  Dillon  Herald. 

The  Dillon  Herald  was  founded  in  1894  by  Mr.  J.  P.  Coffin  and 
was  later  taken  over  by  the  firm  of  Churchhill  and  Howard.  On 
December  3,  1898,  it  was  purchased  by  the  present  owner  and  editor, 
Mr.  A.  B.  Jordan.  The  paper  has  a  subscription  list  of  1,500.  They 
make  a  specialty  of  loose  leaf  ledger  work  and  ji)b  printing. 

Lumber  Industries. 

Besides  these  industries  there  are  several  mills  in  the  county 
engaged  in  lumber  dressing  work.  The  largest  of  these  is  owned  bv 
J.  H.  Dunlap  and  Company  and  is  operated  in  connection  with  a  saw 
mill.  The  Dillon  Novelty  Works,  owned  and  operated  by  W.  A.  Burney, 
does  similar  work. 

The  Wood  Grocery  Company,  manufacturers  of  ice,  and  the  Coca 
Cola  Bottling  Company  are  both  growing  and  doing  a  large  business 
both    in   and  outside   the  county. 


Dillon  CorNTY:  Economic  and  Social 


27 


Consolidated  Summary  of  All  Industries  in  Dillon  County. 

(Basfd  on  the  1W2U  Kt'itort  of  the  Stnto  Coiiiinissioiier  of  Agriculture, 
Commerce  and  Industries.) 


§ 

oi 

c5 

C4 

lH 

oi   Cb 

Ct 

O    tH 

T— 1 

■ 

Si 

a 

a 

d 

CI 

1—1 

o 

=  1 

c 

^ 

a 

0) 

1— I 

rH 

HH 

O     09 

— ' 

.— ' 

to  a 

g  g 

5  2, 

& 

c< 

u 

O 

Value   of 

the  annual   Product. 

^  a 

Boxes,    Baskets    ...  $400 

Confectionery..  .  500 

Electricity     5G,000 

Fertilizers    30,000 

Flour    and    Grist..  100,025 

Ice     10.000 

Lumber     and     Tim- 
ber Products   . .  G5.000 
Minerals    &    Soda    .  300 
Printing  &  Publish- 
ing       4,500 

Textiles        1,218,751 

Oil  Mills  130,000 

Total  $1,G1G,37G 


$5,000 


115,000 
3,000 

0,000 
744,351 

00,000 


$1,500 
2,000 

27,000 

44,885 

302,800 

27.000 

85,000 
GOO 

34,853 

1,000,000 

4.31,850 


$1,000   $301,8G0 


80,150 
9.000 

8,000 
3^(0,000 
231,040 


4,850 


20,853 

1.210,000 

100.010 


1 

2 
13 
15 

6 

4 

53 

5 

9 

407 
35 


$i>,;3,351  $2,557,548   $720,090  $1,743,473   550 


IV. 

FACTS  ABOUT  THE  FOLKS 


Dewey  Stephens 


This  chapter  is  au  attempt  to  weigh  the  most  important  facts 
available  concerning  the  follis  themselves,  constitnting  the  popu- 
lation of  Dillon  County.  The  new  census  report  on  population 
has  just  been  published  and  this  enables  us  to  give  data  that  are 
practically  as  they  exist  at  the  present  time. 

The  attention  of  the  reader  is  directed  to  the  table  at  the  end 
of  this  chapter  where  the  statistics  on  which  this  discussion  is 
based  are  to  be  found  in  compact  form  for  ready  reference. 

Population  Increase. 

The  population  of  Dillon  County  in  li»20  was  2.5,278.  In  1910  the 
population  was  22,G15.  The  increase  was  2,6G3  or  11.7  per  cent 
during  the  last  ten  years.  In  1010  the  population  was  48  to  the  square 
mile  while  in  r.>20  it  was  53.7.  Dillon  County  ranks  11th  in  den- 
sity of  rural  population. 

The  1920  census  shows  that  there  are  12,180  native  whites,  and 
12,93G  negroes  in  the  county.  Tliese  figures  indicate  that  the  negroes 
outnumbered  the  native  whites  by  7.jG.  Or  in  other  words,  51  per 
cent  of  the  total  ix^pulation  is  negro.  By  comparing  the  census 
figures  of  1910  and  1920,  we  find  that  the  white  and  negro  popula- 
tion have  increased  in  the  same  ratio  during  the  last  ten  years. 

Dillon  is  the  lai-gest  town  in  the  county,  with  a  population  of 
2,20.5  in  1920.  The  i>opulation  for  1910  was  1.757.  The  increase 
during  the  past  decade  was  448  or  approximately  25  per  cent. 

Latta  is  the  second  largest  town  in  the  county,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  1,079  in  1920.  The  population  for  1910  was  1,358.  The 
decrease  during  the  past  decade  was  279  individuals  or  20  per 
cent. 

Lakeview  is  tlie  tiiird  largest  town  in  the  county  with  a  popu- 
lation of  306  in  1920.  The  population  for  1910  was  157  indicating  an 
increase  of  149  during  the  past  decade  or  94.9  per  cent. 

Illiteracy. 

Eleven  people  out  of  every  hundred  of  our  white  j)opulation 
above  ten  years  of  age  are  unable  to  read  and  write  their  own 
names,    according    to    the    1920    census.      In    other    words    they    are 


Dillon   County:   Economic   and   Social  29 

sheer  illiterates.  Forty-two  conntie.s  have  a  siualler  per  cent  of 
illiteracy   than   Dillon   County. 

When  we  look  at  the  nnnibor  of  native  white  illiterate  voters 
we  have  a  condition  whic-li  is  more  serious;  for  how  can  a  man  or 
woman  vote  intelligently  when  he  or  she  cannot  read  and  make 
out  a  ballot.  Approximately  thirteen  males  out  of  every  hundred 
are  in  this  condition  and  14.5  per  cent  of  the  females.  There  are 
forty-one  counties  that  have  a  smaller  percentage  of  male  illiterate 
voters  than  Dillon  and  forty-two  that  have  a  smaller  i)ercentage  of 
female  illiterate  voters  than  Dillon. 

About  one  out  of  every  three  negroes  in  Dillon  County  cannot  read 
and  write.  To  be  specific  33.1  per  cent  of  the  negro  population 
above  ten  years  of  age  are  illiterate. 

Very  effective  work  is  being  done  by  the  State  Illiteracy  Com- 
mission and  the  State  Department  of  Education  to  remove  illit- 
eracy. The  1020  report  of  the  work  shows  an  enrollment  of  310 
white  people  in  adult  schools  in  Dillon  County,  wdth  an  average 
attendance  of  203.  Forty-eight  of  these  had  perfect  attendance. 
Seventy-four  were  taught  to  read  and  one  hundred  and  eleven 
were  taught  to  write. 

Illiteracy  will  meet  its  final  death  at  the  hands  of  the  com- 
pulsory attendance  law  if  it  is  effectively  enforced.  It  is  the  duty 
of  every  loyal  citizen  to  do  everything  in  his  or  her  power  to  see 
that  the  law  is  properly  enforced. 

A  Big  Church  Problem. 

The  fact  that  Dillon  County  ranks  40th  in  church  membership 
with  only  60  per  cent  of  the  population  above  ten  years  of  age 
members  of  the  church  speaks  very  poorly  for  the  churches  of  the 
county.  The  state  average  is  74  per  cent.  We  are  making  great 
progress  along  lines  of  education,  but  the  churches  do  not  seem  to 
be  keeping  up  with  the  progress  made  along  other  lines.  It  is 
time  for  the  faithful  supporters  of  the  church  to  get  busy  a*  d  try 
to  do  something  before  the  problem  is  too  greatly  complicated 
through  delay. 

Illiteracy  is  one  of  the  evils  with  which  the  church  must  con- 
tend; for  an  illiterate  is  very  sensitive.  Few  of  them  take  an  active 
part  in  church  work.  We  cannot  expect  them  to  be  actively 
interested  in  the  affairs  or  the  church  unless  they  are  given  some- 
thing to  do,  and  are  prepared  to  accomplish  the  task. 

Farm  tenancy  and  poor  roads  are  responsible  for  part  of  the 
existing  conditions.  Then  there  are  the  poorly  paid  pastors.  This 
means  that  the  besfpastors  will  be  in  the  towns  and  cities,  where  the 


30  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

salaries  are  more  attractive.  Unless  the  church  wakes  up  and  tries 
to  remedy  some  of  the  existing  evils  they  ai"e  going  to  put  an  end 
to  the  church.  It  is  time  for  the  church  to  wake  up  and  show  to 
the  world  the  real  way  towards  its  betterment  socially  and  econ- 
omically. 

Vital  Statistics. 

It  is  very  gratifying  to  note  that  there  are  16.C  more  people 
per  thousand  of  population  born  in  Dillon  County  each  year 
than  die  during  the  same  period  of  time.  Although  we  are  twenty 
seventh  in  the  number  of  births  each  year  our  population  is  increas- 
ing. 

The  fact  that  Dillon  County  is  second  lowest  in  death  rate  in 
South  Carolina  shows  that  it  is  a  good  place  in  which  to  live. 
There  were  only  8.3  deaths  to  every  thousand  inhabitants  in  Dillon 
County  in  1919,  while  the  average  for  the  state  was  13.0G.  Forty- 
four  counties  had  a  higher  death  rate  than  we  did.  Colleton  came 
first  with  a  death  rate  of  7.4  per  thousand  6t  populaclon. 

Marriages. 

In  1919,  in  Dillon  County  there  were  19  marriages  per  thousand 
of  population.  There  were  217  white  marriages,  15  Indians  and 
245    negroes. 

In  1920,  there  were  18  marriages  per  thousand  of  population. 
There  were  207  whites,  18  Indians  and  210  negro  marriages.  We 
cannot  make  any  comparisons  with  the  other  counties  of  South 
Carolina  since  the  figures  have  not  been  compiled.  They  are  kept 
locally  in  the  office  of  the  i)robate  judge  and  this  tabulation  would 
be  a  difficult  task.  The  state  average  for  North  Carolina  in  1914 
was  11  marriages  per  thousand  of  population.  Our  high  marriage 
rate  may  be  due  in  part  to  the  number  of  couples  that  come  over 
from  the  North  Carolina  side  to  be  married.  This  presumably  is  on 
account  of  the  differences  in  the  marriage  laws  in  the  two  states. 

Rural  Population. 

The  fact  that  Dillon  County  has  301,440  acres  of  land  that  will 
grow  almost  any  crop  profitably  especially  adapts  it  to  farming. 
In  1910  we  ranked  twenty-fourth  among  the  other  counties  of  the 
state  in  density  of  rural  population  with  forty-eight  inhabitants 
to  the  square  mile.  In  1920  we  ranked  eleventh  with  fifty-three 
and  seven-tenths  inhabitants  to  the  square  mile.  In  1910  and  1920  our 
population  was  49  per  cent  white  and   51  per  cent  negro.     Dillon 


Dillon  County:  Ecmjnomk:  and  Social  31 

County  ranks  33r(l  in  the  per  cent  of  its  population  that  is  ueKro. 
From  these  figures  it  is  very  evident  that  the  rural  pop\ilati(tn 
can  be  very  profitably  increased.  There  is  abundant  room  for 
the  homeseeker  in  one  of  the  best  counties  of  the  state.  When  the 
rural  population  increases,  the  loneliness  of  country  life  vfUl  be  partly 
overcome.  We  will  have  better  schools,  churches  and  social  con- 
ditions. We  neetl  our  country  regions  developed  so  that  one  can 
see  several  nice  farms  and  homes  in  the  same  opening.  Then  we 
will  have  a  better  place  in  which  to  live.  The  fact  that  the 
density  of  rural  population  in  many  counties  is  several  times  as 
great  as  ours,  is  further  proof  that  tlie  rural  population  can  be 
profitably   increased. 

Facts  and  Figures  About  Dillon  County  People. 

(Coiiipilcd  prhicipdllu  fioiii  the  U.  8.  Census  of  1020.) 

39th — in   size  in   South   Carolina,   acres 482,040 

32nd— in    population,    1920    25,278 

11th — in     density    of    rural    popuhitioc    per    square    mile, 

density     "13.7 

15th — in  per  cent  of  population   th^t   is   negro,   1920    51.2 

The  white  increase  from  1910-20  was  8  per  cent ; 
while  the  negro  population  increased  14  per  cent. 
40th — in  church  membership  10  years  of  age  and  over 

( 191G)     per    cent    00.0 

35th — in   percentage   of   total    illiteracy    22.3 

State  average  IS.l  per  cent ;   Berkeley  leads 
with   38.4   per  cent ;    Pickens   is  last  with  10.7  per 
cent. 
43rd — in  native  white  illiterates  10  j-ears  old   and  over  in 

1920,    per   cent    10.9 

42nd — in  native  white  male  illiterate  voters  in  1920,  per 

cent 12.9 

43rd — in    native    white    women    illiterate    voters    in    1920, 

per  cent    14.5 

2nd— in  death  rate  per  1,000  population,  1919  S.3 

State  average  for  1919  was  13. G  per  1,000  poi)u- 
lation. 

27th— in  birth   rate  per  1,000  pojuilation   in  1921 24.9 

4th — in  homicides  per  100,000  population  in  1921 4.0 

Total  number  of  homicides  in  Dillon  for  1921 
was  1 ;  total  for  state  was  247.  State  average  per 
100,000  iwpulation  was  14.7. 


V. 

WEALTH  AND  TAXATION 


Edgar    T.    Thompson. 


Agricultural  Wealth. 

The  1920  census  report  gives  $22,055,053  as  the  value  of  all  farm 
property  in  Dillon  County  making  us  rank  15th  among  the  counties 
of  the  state.  In  1910  the  county  i-anked  13th  in  the  value  of  all 
farm  property  with  a  total  of  $10,333,050.  The  increase  of  113.4 
per  cent  during  the  ten  years  is  readily  seen  to  he  a  marked  one. 
Dillon  County  ranked  34th  among  the  counties  in  this  particular. 
The  average  increase  for  the  state  was  143  per  cent.  There  was 
a  remarkable  rise  in  land  values  in  many  counties  especially  in 
Georgetown  and  in  Horry  where  the  increase  was  244.5  and  231.2 
per  cent  respectively.  In  the  decade  between  ICOO  and  1910  Dillon 
County,  still  a  part  of  Marion  County,  increased  54  per  cent  in  the 
value  of  all  farm  property. 

Dillon  County  takes  a  high  stand  among  the  counties  of  the 
state  in  the  matter  of  per  capita  country  wealth.  In  this  our 
rank  is  7th  with  $872.50  per  individual.  Marlboro  ranks  first  in 
the    state    with    a    per    capita    wealth    of   $1,129.63. 

Total  Wealth. 

The  total  wealth  of  the  county  is,  of  course,  very  much  greater 
than  its  country  wealth.  But  it  is  impossible  to  reckon  the  value 
of  the  county  wealth  except  from  the  records  of  the  Auditor's  office, 
reported  by  the  State  Tax  Connnission,  as  42  per  cent  of  the 
total  value.  We  cannot  accept  even  this  figure  as  being  entirely 
correct.  But  it  does  serve  as  a  basis  for  comparing  one  county 
with  another  and  for  showing  increases  from  one  time  to  another. 
The  great  difference  between  the  census  figures  and  the  figures 
given  by  the  State  Tax  Commission  can  be  appreciated  when  we  note 
that  the  former's  estimate  of  the  value  of  laiid  in  Dillon  County 
for  1920  is   $14,9(>7,319  while  the  latter's  figure  is  only  $2,591,405. 

Using  the  State  Tax  Commission's  figures  then,  as  a  basis  of 
comparison,  Dillon  County  ranks  27th  among  the  counties  of  the 
state   with    a    total    wealth    of    $14,174,300.      The    increase    in    total 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  33 

taxable    property    from    1010    to    1920    was    70.6o    per    cent.      Seven 
counties  outranked   us  in  the  increase. 

But  the  total  wealth  of  a  county  has  relatively  little  to  do  with 
the  prosperity  of  the  people  as  a  whole.  This  is  better  sho\rn  by 
giving  the  per  captia  wealth  in  the  county.  In  1020  in  Dillon 
County  this  item  was  $500.  still  using  the  State  Tax  Commission's 
figures,  maldni;  us  rank  26th  among  the  counties  of  the  state. 
While  we  outrank  twenty  counties  in  the  matter  of  per  caitita 
wealth,  we  should  not  be  satisified  with  our  standing.  With  our 
rich  soils  especially  adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  a  wide  variety 
of  crops  we  should  rank  among  the  first.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  our  neighborhoo<l  county  of  Marlboro  ranks  10th  with  a 
per  capita  wealth  of  $728.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
wealth  retaining  capacities  of  a  people  count  far  more  than  the 
wealth  getting  activities. 

Farm  Mortgages. 

The  total  number  of  farms  in  Dillon  County  ia  1010  was  2,659. 
Of  these  100  or  4  per  cent  were  mortgaged.  Four  counties,  Beaufort, 
Berkeley,  Marlboro  and  Charleston  outranked  us  in  having  a  smaller 
percentage  of  mortgaged    farms. 

The  white  farmers  of  the  county  owned  2,543  of  these  farms. 
There  were  00  or  3.5  per  cent  of  them  under  mortgage.  The  coun- 
ties of  Beaufort,  Charleston  and  Marlboro  were  the  only  counties 
having  fewer  white  farm   mortgages  than   Dillon   County. 

Negro  farmers  owned  116  farms  and  10  or  16.4  per  cent  were 
mortgaged.     Twelve  counties  outranked   us   in  this  particular. 

According  to  the  1020  census  there  were  3,440  farms  in  Dillon 
County  in  that  year.  Of  these  117  or  3.4  per  cent  were  mortgaged. 
Three  counties,  Allendale,  Calhoun  and  Marlboro  had  a  smaller 
percentage  than  Dillon  County. 

In  1910  the  value  of  all  mortgaged  farm  lands  and  buildings 
in  the  county  was  $461,655.  The  total  amount  of  the  mortgage  debt 
was  $03,455,  or  20.2  per  cent  of  the  total  value  of  the  farm  land 
and  buildings.  In  1020  this  property  was  valued  at  $056,675  of  which 
$262,422  or  27.4  per  cent,  was  under  mortgage.  From  these  figures 
we  see  that  while  the  percentage  of  farms  under  mortgage  fell 
from  4  per  cent  to  3.4  per  cent  over  the  period  of  ten  years,  the 
total  mortgage  debt  rose  from  20.2  per  cent  to  27.4  per  cent  of  the 
total  value  of  all  farm  land  and  buildings  during  the  same  time. 

A  mortgage  is  not  necessarily  a  bad  thing.  When  used  for  making 
Improvements  a  mortgage  may  be  made  with  profit.  But  if  a 
mortgage    is   given    for    the   purpose    of   buying    luxuries,    such    as 


34  Dillon   County:   Economic   and  Soclvl 

automobiles   for  pleasure  driving,   there  is  nothing  gained  in   mak- 
ing one. 

Banks  and  Banking  Resources. 

In  1920  Dillon  County  had  one  National  and  six  State  Banks, 
or  one  bank  for  every  3,135  people.  In  this  respect  we  rank  13th 
among  the  counties  of  the  state.  Two  banks  liave  been  added 
since.  In  1919  our  total  banking  resources  were  $3,088,793.47 
which  was  an  increase  of  $1,942,775.04,  or  1G9  per  cent,  over  1914. 
The  average  increase  for  the  state  as  a  whole  during  the  same 
period  was  140  per  cent.  Comparing  loans  and  discounts  during  the 
same  five  year  period  we  have  an  increase  of  $722,587.79  over 
1914  bringing  the  total  to  $1,050,412.67  for  1919  which  represents 
an  increase  of  77  per  cent.  The  average  increase  for  the  state 
during  the  same  period  was  lOO  per  cent.  The  increase  in  capital 
stock  was  not  so  marked.  There  was  an  increase  of  only  $50,000 
over  1914  bringing  the  total  to  $270,700  or  an  increase  of  22  per 
cent.  This  means  that  an  increase  of  109  per  cent  in  resources 
was  effected  on  an  increase  of  only  22  per  cent  in  capital  stock. 

These  increases  are  not  entirely  the  result  of  an  increasing 
population  for  the  population  increased  11.8  per  cent  from  1910 
to  1920.  It  is  largely  the  result  of  increased  thrift  on  the  part 
of  the  people  and  was  accomplished  during  an  abnormal  business 
period. 

Our  per  capita  bank  resources  in  1914  were  $55  which  was 
increased  to  if  122  in  1919.  In  per  capita  loans  the  increase  was 
very  much  less,  from  $41  in  1914  to  $65  in  1919.  Our  per  capita 
capital  stock  in  1919  was  only  $10.70  which  was  an  increase  of 
just  one  dollar  over  1914. 

Liberty  Loans. 

Dillon  County's  total  quota  for  all  the  Liberty  Bond  drives 
exclusive  of  the  first  was  $1,088,500.  The  total  amount  subscribed 
to  these  loans  was  $1,145,250  and  1,960  people  made  subscriptions. 

The  county  ranked  16th  in  the  percentage  of  the  quota  sub- 
scribed with  105.2  per  cent. 

During  the  First  Liberty  Loan  drive  in  June  1917,  there  was 
no  organization  for  soliciting  subscriptions  and  advertising  the 
loan  in  Dillon  County.  Consequently  the  county  failed  to  reach  its 
allotment.  The  town  of  Dillon  with  a  quota  of  $25,000,  subscribed 
$15,150,  and  the  town  of  Latta  with  a  quota  of  $5,000  over-sub- 
scribed by  $650. 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  35 

Dillon  County  was  thoroly  organized  and  prepared  for  the  second 
Liberty  Loan  drive  of  October  1017  and  greatly  over-subscribed  her 
quota.  With  an  allotment  of  .$172,000  the  county  subscribed  $254,850. 
This  represented  the  subscriptions  of  338  persons. 

The  county's  quota  of  $14(J,200  in  the  Third  Liberty  Loan  in 
April  1918,  vv'as  over- subscribed  by  $83,2."0.  Six  hundred  and 
twenty-four  individuals  made  subscriptions.  The  amounts  appor- 
tioned and  raised  l>y  towns  is  as  follows: 

Quota  Suitscribcd 

Dillon    $80,000  $137,000 

Little    Rock    0.000  18,(500 

Lakeview     15..300  16,200 

Latta    40,000  56,000 

The  quota  lor  the  county  for  the  Fourth  Liberty  Loan  of  Sep- 
tember and  October  1018,  was  almost  three  times  that  of  the 
first.  This  allotment  was  $500,000  and  the  amount  subscribed  was 
$404,250.     Bonds  were  bought  by  710  peoi)le. 

Lack  of  interest  and  proper  advertising  resulted  in  the  failure 
of  the  county  to  reach  its  quota  in  the  Fifth  or  Victory  Loan  of 
April  1919.  With  an  allotment  of  $200,700  just  $160,700  was  taken 
up  and  only  288  people  bought  bonds.  The  following  table  is 
interesting : 

Bank  Number   of 

Resources  Apportioned  Subscribed  Subscribers 

Dillon     $1,301,000  $138,0.10  $81,2.50  110 

Little    Rock    140,000  14,500 

Lakeview     300,000  20,800  6,000  4 

Latta     880,000  87,350  89,050  150 

On  November  11,  1018,  Armistice  Day.  which  virtually  closed 
the  World  War,  Dillon  County  had  invested  $97,1.52  in  War  Saving 
Stamps,  a  per  capita  investment  of  $3.78. 

Automobiles. 

Altho  Dillon  County  ranks  37th  in  size  and  32nd  in  population 
among  the  counties  of  the  state  she  ranke<l  10th  in  the  number 
of  automobiles  and  trucks  with  1,670  in  1020.  We  ranked  even 
higher  in  the  number  of  inhabitants  per  automobile  with  15.1 
making  our  rank  9th  among  the  counties.  But  these  figures  are 
nothing  to  be  proud  of  for  they  show  that  while  we  have  been 
amassing  wealth  in  automobiles  we  have  been  neglecting  institutions 
which  are  very  much  more  essential  to  the  life  and  prosperity  of 
the  county. 


36  Dillon  County:  Ecxjnomic  and  Social 

If  we  estimate  the  average  price  per  automobile  as  $1,100  wliicli 
is  a  conservative  estimate,  we  have  $1,846,900  invested  in  automo- 
biles in  Dillon  County  for  1920.  The  value  of  all  school  property 
in  the  county  for  the  same  year  was  $651,028.  This  means  that 
we  have  almost  three  times  as  much  invested  in  automobiles  as 
we  have  in  schools.  During  the  year  of  1920,  Dillon  County 
citizens  purchased  353  new  cars.  Using  the  same  valuation  of 
$1,100  per  automobile  this  was  an  expenditure  of  $388,500.  During 
the  same  year  the  county  spent  only  $132,583  for  school  purposes. 

Figures  secured  from  the  State  Department  of  Agriculture  and 
based  on  the  eighth  of  a  cent  a  gallon  tax  on  gasoline  gives  737,081 
gallons  as  the  amount  used  in  Dillon  County  in  1920.  Using  32 
cents  a  gallon  as  an  average  price  during  that  year  w^e  get  $235,866 
as  the  value  of  gasoline  consumed  during  the  year. 

The  average  number  of  miles  per  gallon  is  13.  This  gives  a 
total  of  9,582,053  miles.  It  would  be  conservative  to  estimate 
the  operating  expenses  of  a  car  at  ten  cents  a  mile.  This  would 
include  gasoline  costs,  tires,  repairs  and  depreciation.  Such  an 
estimate  indicates  an  approximate  cost  of  operating  of  $958,205. 
Combining  the  cost  of  new  cars  purchased  during  1920  with  the  total 
cost  of  operating  during  the  same  year  we  get  approximately 
$1,346,705. 

These  figures  lead  to  some  startling  conclusions.  They  show 
that  in  the  year  1920  we  spent  ten  times  as  much  on  automobiles 
and  trucks  as  we  spent  on  education.  Also  they  show  that  58 
per  cent  of  the  money  from  our  1920  cotton  crop  was  invested 
in  automobiles  and  in  keeping  them  up.  And  the  amount  we  have 
invested  in  automobiles  is  almost  seven  times  the  capital  stock 
of  all  our  banks. 

Between  1919  and  1920  the  number  of  automobiles  and  trucks 
over  the  state  as  a  whole  increased  34  per  cent.  But  between 
1920  and  1921  there  was  a  decrease  of  approximately  3.5  per 
cent. .  Dillon  County  in  1921  had  1,365  automobiles  and  trucks, 
314  or  18  per  cent  less  than  it  had  in  1920.  There  were  18.5  in- 
habitants per  automobile,  in  which  respect  we  ranked  16th  among 
the  counties.  Greenville  County  ranked  first  with  11.8  inhabit- 
ants.   The  average  for  the  state  was  18.6  inhabitants  per  automobile. 

Roads  and  Railways. 

Dillon  County  is  well  served  with  railroads.  The  Atlantic  Coast 
Line  tliru  from  New  York  to  Jacksonville,  and  the  Seaboard  Air  Line 
from  Hamlet  to  Savannah,  completely  traverse  the  county.  The 
Raleigh    and    Charleston,    in    the   eastern    part    of    the    county,    the 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  37 

Beniiettsville  uud  Cheravv,  iu  the  southwest  portion,  and  the  so- 
called  Latta  Branch  connecting  Latta  and  Clio,  are  all  branches 
of  these  two  main  lines.  Their  total  mileage  in  Dillon  County 
is  S0.7  miles  and  they  own  itrin)erty  iu  the  county  assessed  to 
the   amount  of  $757,228. 

There  are  approximately  800  miles  of  roads  in  Dillon  County, 
only  41  miles  of  which  belong  to  the  State  Highway  System,  lloads 
branch  out  from  Dillon  to  MuUins,  Latta,  Lakeview,  Nichols,  Dun- 
bar and  Ilamer.  A  county  road  connects  Latta  and  Brownsville 
and  another  connects  Latta  and  Dunbar.  We  are  well  supplied 
with  roads  but  we  have  been  very  lax  in  keeping  them  up. 

The  Calhoun  Highway  passes  into  Dillon  County  by  way  of 
Hamer  from  Lumberton,  North  Carolina.  It  describes  a  great  arc 
across  the  northern  part  of  the  state  taking  in  the  towns  of 
Dillon,  Bennettsville,  Chesterfield,  Lancaster,  Chester,  Clinton. 
Greenwood,    Abbeville   and   thence   to   Athens,   Georgia. 

Two  State  Highway  projects  were  begun  and  one  carried  to 
completion  in  Dillon  County  in  1921.  Project  50  A  from  Dillon 
to  the  Marion  County  line  is  a  gravel  sand  and  clay  road  and 
is  8.25  miles  long.  Its  construction  cost  $50,608.90  for  which  Fed- 
eral aid  to  the  amount  of  $17,403.15  was  obtained. 

Project  50  BC  is  a  sand  clay  road  and  extends  from  Dillon  to 
the  Marlboro  County  line.  It  is  11.52  miles  long.  By  the  end 
of  1921  it  was  only  GO  per  cent  completed  and  at  that  time  it  had 
cost  $23,551.28  for  which  a  federal  aid  of  $8,205.67  had  been  obtained. 

Dillon  County  has  now  19.2  miles  of  improved  soft  surface  roads 
iu  the  State  Highway  System  and  the  construction  of  17.4  ad- 
ditional mileage  is  recommended  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $17,000. 
In  1921,  $8,836.52  accrued  to  the  county  from  motor  vehicle  licenses. 
This  was  an  increase  of  $1,103.90  over  1920. 

While  there  remains  much  to  be  done  in  the  development  of 
good  roads  in  the  county,  it  can  be  said  that  our  roads  are  in  better 
condition  and  are  being  used  more  now  than  at  any  other  time 
iu  our  histoi-y,  both  as  a  county  and  as  a  part  of  old  Marion 
County.  And  this  not  due  alone  to  an  increase  in  population. 
Between  100  and  500  vehicles  pass  over  every  mile  of  Dillon 
County  roads  every  day. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  offer  arguments  in  favor  of  good  roads, 
they  are  so  apparent.  Roads  are  the  very  arteries  of  the  state 
and  the  nation  and  for  this  reason  they  should  be  kept  at  their 
highest  point  of  efficiency.  With  bad  roads  traffic  is  congested, 
transportation  is  expensive,  and  the  people  suffer.  It  has  been 
proven  that  money  invested  in  good  roads  is  repaid  many  times 
over.     We  need  good  roads.     Let's  have  'em. 


449625 


38  Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social 

Taxation. 

In  1920  the  total  taxable  wealth  of  Dillon  County  was  $14,178,120. 
In  1917  the  figures  were  $9,527,135.  Our  increase  in  taxable  property 
from  1910  to  1920  was  7G.65  per  cent.  Only  seven  counties  out- 
ranked us  in  the  increase. 

Dillon  County  in  1920  ranketl  fourth  among  the  counties  of  the 
state  in  her  general  levy,  state,  county  and  school,  with  35.25  mills 
while  the  average  for  the  state  was  29.25  mills.  The  average  levy 
for  the  county,  not  including  the  principal  town  districts,  was  49.25 
mills.  In  this  respect  Dillon  County  ranks  first  among  the  counties 
of  the  state  being  a  great  deal  ahead  of  the  average  for  the  state 
which  was  37.G0  mills.  All  of  our  school  districts  have  levied 
special  taxes  for  schools. 

Three  counties  have  a  higher  tax  rate  than  Dillon  County.  Our 
rate  in  1920,  state  and  county,  was  $3.53  per  hundred  dollars.  The 
county  of  Pickens  ranks  first  with  $4.00  for  each  hundred  dollars 
worth  of  property.  Next  in  order  come  Clarendon,  McCormick  and 
Dillon.  Our  neighboring  county,  Marlboro,  ranks  43rd.  with  $2.45 
for  each  hundred  dollars  worth  of  property. 

The  present  tax  system  is  the  only  one  that  can  be  used  under 
the  constitution  of  1895,  and,  tho  only  twenty-five  years  old,  has 
already  proven  itself  inadequate  to  provide  for  the  needs  of  a 
fast  growing  society.  The  law  requires  that  all  property,  real,  per- 
sonal and  possessory  be  listed  and  returned,  assessed  and  taxed 
at  its  actual  value.  That  this  provision  is  not  practiced  is  well 
known  by  everybody  in  the  state  including  state  tax  officials  so 
that  the  State  Tax  Connnission  in  1915  found  it  necessary  to 
recognize  this  fact  officially  and  openly  proceeded  with  the  equali- 
zation of  assessments  on  the  percentage  basis  of  42  per  cent. 

Taxation  is  a  state-wide  problem  and  its  solution  will  be  state- 
wide, but  it  will  be  interesting  to  mention  some  of  the  conditions 
that  have  arisen  in  our  county  by  reason  of  the  general  property 
tax.  The  assessed  valuation  of  the  24G,504  acres  of  county  real 
estate  in  1920  was  $2,591,405  making  the  assessed  value  of  an  acre 
of  land  only  $10.50.  This  is  an  absurdity  when  land  in  Dillon 
County  sells  for  from  two  hundred  to  four  hundred  dollars  per 
acre  and  yet  we  wonder  \y^hy  we  have  such  high  tax  rates  and  still 
not  raise  sufficient  revenue  to  meet  the  increasing  demands  of 
government.  In  addition  to  this,  most  of  the  personal  property, 
both  tangible  and  intangible,  which  constitutes  a  large  part  of 
our  wealth  and  from  which  a  large  part  of  our  taxes  should  be  de- 
rived, docs  not  find  a  place  upon  our  tax  bools.  The  land  owners 
and   corporations  bear   the   burden   of  taxation   simitly   because   men 


Dillon  County:  E(X)nomic  and  Social  30 

whose  wealth  is  composed  of  personal  property  can  keep  it  off 
the  tax  books  and  the  landowners  and  corporations  cannot.  The 
present  tax  laws  in  the  state  make  such  a  state  of  affairs  possible. 
The  tax  system  in  South  Carolina  mu.st  be  rebuilt  from  the  founda- 
tion up  and  must  i)rovide  .separate  systems  for  tiie  taxation  of 
tangible  and  intangible  property. 

Facts  About  Wealth  and  Taxation  in  Dillon  County. 

Rank. 

15th— in    total    farm    wealth,    1920    census    $22,055,053 

34th — in  farm  wealth  increase  1910-20,  per  cent  113.4. 
Georgetown  County  first  with  244.5  per  cent. 
State  increase  143  per  cent. 

7th — in   per   capita   country   wealth,   1920 872.50 

Marlboro  County  first  with  $1,129.63. 
22nd — in  percentage  that  assessed  value  of  land  per 

acre  was  to  the  census  value,  1920,  per  cent....  12.5 

Census  value  $84.24;  assessed  value  $10.51. 

27th— in    total    taxable    property,    1920    $14,174,300 

8th — in    increase    in    total    taxable    property    1910-1920, 

per    cent     70.05 

Florence   County    first   with    123.70   per   cent, 
btate  increase  00.22  per  cent. 

26th— in    per    capita    taxable    wealth,    1920 560.00 

Ist — in   average   property   tax    rate,    1920    (mills) 49.25 

State  average,  37.00  mills. 
4th — in    tax    rate   per   $100   assessed    valuation    for    tax 

year  1920    : 3.50 

Pickens    County    fii'st    $4.00;    Marlboro    County 
43rd.    $2.45 
5th — in  percentage  that   mortgaged    farms   are  of  total 

immber  of  farms,  1910,  per  cent 4 

Total    number    of    farms,    2,6."9. 
Number  of  farms  mortgaged,  109. 
4th — in   percentage  that   mortgaged   farms   are   of   total 

farms   owned   by   whites,   1910,   per  cent 3.5 

Number  of  farms  owned  by  whites,  2,543;   num- 
ber mortgaged,  90. 

19th — in    number   of   automobiles,    1920 1,679 

Number  decreased  IS  per  cent  in  1921. 

9th — in  number  of  inhabitants  per  automobile,  1920 15.1 

Marlboro  first  with  12.3;  State  average  18. 


40  Dillon  County;  Economic  and  Social 

IGth — in  number  of  inhabitants  per  automobile,  1921....  18.5 

Greenville  first  11.8,  State  average  18.6. 
ISth — in  number  inhabitants  per  bank,  1920 3,135 

Number  banks   7 ;  population  25,278. 
29th— in  per  capita   bank   resources,  1919    $122.00 

Richland  County  first  $453 ;  state  average  $149.26 
23rd— in    per   capita    bank    capital,    1919    $10.70 

Richland  County  first  $29;   State  average  11.77. 
30th— in    total   banking    resources,    1919    $3,088,793 

Charleston  County  first  with  $48,792,245. 
30th— in  total  capital  bank  stock,  1919   $270,700 

Charleston  first  with  $2,500,000. 
31st — in  per  capita  loans  and  discounts,  1919   $66 

Dillon,   Abbeville   and    Saluda   Counties   had   the 

same    rank. 

32nd— in   total  loans   and  discounts,    1919    $1,656,412 

28th — in   percentage   increase   in   per   capita    banking   re- 
sources, 1914-1919,  per  cent   133 

Saluda    first    with    469   per    cent;    Marlboro   6th 

with   275  per   cent. 


VI. 

SCHOOLS 


Dewey    Stephens. 


The  purpose  of  this  chapter  is  t<i  put  before  the  thinking  pef»[)le 
of  Dillon  County  some  facts  about  the  school  system  of  Dillon 
County.  No  doubt  some  of  these  figures  will  be  startling,  but 
let  us  hope  they  will  put  the  peojile  to  thinking  about  one  of  the 
most  vital  questions  of  the  day.  If  this  one  thing  could  be  accom- 
plished we  do  not  believe  our  work  would  have  been  in  vain;  for 
it  is  the  thinking  i>eople  that  accomplish  things.  Tiie  leaders  of  the 
future  are  the  youth  of  tcxlay.  Unless  we  have  efficient  schools 
to  train  our  leaders  we  cannot  expect  them  to  become  efficient 
leaders  and  efficient  thinkers. 

Ten   Year   Gains. 

This  discussion  will  be  based  on  the  tables  that  close  this 
chapter.  The  data  in  these  tables  were  obtained  largely  from  the 
report  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Education. 

It  is  very  gratifying  to  note  some  of  the  remarkable  improve- 
ments that  have  been  made  in  Dillon  County  schools  during  the  last 
decade.  However,  some  of  these  have  not  improved  as  much  as  they 
should.  The  revenues  of  the  schools  increased  $119,114.25  or  475 
per  cent  from  1910-1920.  When  the  revenues  have  increased  in  such 
proportion  the  efficiency  has  increase<l  somewhat  in  the  same 
ratio,  although  the  operating  expenses  have  greatly  advancetl. 
Teachers  are  being  paid  more  than  twice  as  much  as  they  were 
in  1910,  but  the  cost  of  living  has  almost  doubled.  However,  the 
teachers  are  not  yet  receiving  adequate  salaries.  White  teachers 
in  the  county  increased  from  58  in  1910  to  91  in  1920  or  57  per 
cent.  Twenty  school  districts  voted  extra  levies  in  1910  and  every 
district   had  extra  levies  in   192©. 

In  1910  the  total  school  enrolhnent  was  4,571  and  in  1920  it 
was  7,411,  indicating  an  increase  of  G2  per  cent.  In  1910  the 
average  daily  attendance  was  2.617  and  in  1920  the  average  daily 
attendance  was  4,416  indicating  an  increase  of  68  per  cent.  There 
was  57  per  cent  of  the  enrollment  in  average  attendance  in  1910. 
In  1920  this  had  increased  5  per  cent  making  the  average  attendance 


42 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 


62  per  cent.     The  conclusion  from  these  figures  is  that  the  attend- 
ance has  not  kept  pace  with  the  enrollment.. 

Rank  of  Dillon  County  Schools. 

There  are  few,  if  any  governmental  activities  for  which  so  many 
significant  facts  have  been  gathered,  by  uniform  methods,  over 
so  long  a  period  of  time  as  has  been  done  in  the  matter  of  education. 

Index  Figures  for  Dillon  County  Schools,   1910  and   1920. 


• 

ri 

Oi 

OJ 

0) 

Oj 

O      r~ 

2 

^ 

J3 

^ 

■«       U 

ps 

'1 

?S 

o 

■'t 

n 

o 

O 

O 

o 

o     ., 

tH 

71 

1H     =a 

a 

(T. 

^ 

cr. 

r-t 

tH 

rH 

rH 

rH 

Per  cent  of  school  population  at- 
tending school  daily   

39 

37 

60 

03 

38 

62 

Average    days    attended    by    each 
child  of  school  age 

25 

12.1 

42.5 

22.8 

18.2 

32.4 

Average   number    of   days    schools 
were  kept   open    

125 

65 

140 

72 

95 

106 

Per  cent  that  high  school  attend- 
ance was  of  total  attendance 

6.86 

6.86 

8.8 

.07 

6.86 

4.44 

Per  cent  that  boys  were  of  girls 
in  high   schools 

73.4 

73.4 

49 

49 

73.4 

49 

Average  expenditure  per  child  at- 
tending     

10.20 

2.31 

57.68 

3.78 

9.28 

29.10 

Average  expenditure  per  child   of 
.school    age    

0.38 

.89 

34.91 

2.39 

3..54 

17  93 

Average   expenditure   per   teacher 
employed     

15.11 

3.98 

56.54 

8.23 

10.80 

40.32 

Expenditure    per    child    for    pur- 
poses  other  than  salaries    . . 

1.49 

.17 

49.90 

.22 

.83 

23.57 

Expenditure  per  teacher  for  sala- 
ries    

29.76 

7.07 

04.12 

15.98 

21.57 

47.96 

DILLON   COUNTY   INDEX    .... 

33.82 

20.98 

56.34 

23.75 

27.65 

41.27 

STATE    INDEX     

24.87 

29.39 

Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  43 

A  couipreliensive  inethfxl  of  in(lifatin«  school  conditions  and  ten- 
dencies has  been  worked  out  by  the  Department  of  Edncati<»n  of  the 
Russell  Sajie  Foundation  by  means  of  index  numbers,  winch  is  a  well 
established  statistical  device  conunonly  used  for  measuring  changes 
in  wholesale  and  retail  prices,  and  rates  of  wages  over  long  periods 
of  time,  and  wiiich  number  lends  Itself  readily  in  denoting  changes, 
conditions  and  cost  of  education  over  a  period  of  time. 

The  ten  sets  of  etlucational  data  that  have  been  considered  as  set 
out  in  the  accompanying  table  are  unusually  adapted  for  inclusion 
in  an  index  number.  Increases  in  them  reflect  improved  educational 
conditions  and  decreases  reflect  worse  conditions. 

South  Carolina  is  below  all  other  states  in  educational  matters, 
with  an  index  number  of  29.39.  Montana  leads  with  75.79.  In  1920 
18.1  per  cent  of  the  people  in  South  Carolina  were  illiterate.  The 
fact  that  South  Carolina  has  a  negro  majority  cannot  be  given 
as  the  sole  cause  of  such  a  situation,  though  it  does  materially  in- 
fluence it. 

Dillon  County  Schools  have  an  index  number  of  41.27  which 
is  considerably  above  the  average  for  the  State.  Were  the  average 
of  the  State  equal  to  that  of  Dillon  County,  South  Carolina  would 
rank  39th  instead  of  42nd  in  the  list  of  states,  while  a  State 
average  of  50.34  or  the  average  of  Dillon  County's  white  schools, 
would  bring  South  Carolina  to  the  rank  of  25th  instead  of  52nd 
in  the  list  of  states. 

Attendance. 

The  problem  of  attendance  is  one  of  the  most  important  problems 
facing  the  schools  today,  and  one  that  must  be  solved  before  the 
schools  can  do  themselves  justice.  We  have  the  compulsory  attend- 
ance law,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  be  living  up  fully  to  its  possi- 
bilities. It  required  in  1920,  $132,583.87  to  run  the  schools  in 
Dillon  County.  Tliirty-eight  pupils  out  of  every  hundred  were 
absent  every  day,  therefore  a  loss  of  $50,381.87  was  sustained 
from  poor  attendance.  Witli  conditions  such  as  these  something 
should  be  done  immediately.  The  existing  evil  r-ould  probably  be 
corrected  by  showing  the  parents  what  the  children  lose  when  they 
are  out  of  school,  and  by  a  strict  enforcement  of  the  compulsory 
attendance  laws. 

When  the  people  of  the  county  realize  that  it  is  an  economic  as 
well  as  a  social  advantage  to  see  that  the  children  are  in  regular 
attendance  we  believe  things  will  improve  in  this  regard.  The 
overhead  expenses  continue  just  the  same  whether  the  children  go 
to  school  or  not.     It  would  seem  that  the  money  people  invest  in 


44  Dillon  CouNTr :  Economic  and  Social 

schools   is   the   only    money    from    which    they   do    not    wish    to    get 
full  benefit. 

The  pupil  who  is  not  in  regular  attendance  does  the  class  an 
Injustice  as  well  as  himself.  The  teacher  cannot  divide  the  class, 
therefore  he  has  to  keep  the  pupils  who  are  in  regular  attendance 
back  with  those  who  have  been  absent  and  are  catching  up. 

Teachers. 

The  most  sorely  neglacted,  or  one  of  the  most  sorely  neglected 
factors  of  the  school  system  of  today  is  the  teacher.  Every  one 
knows  that  buildings,  grounds  and  equipment  are  necessary,  but  they 
are  useless  without  the  vitalizing  touch  of  a  teacher.  It  is  the 
teacher  that  puts  real  life  into  the  school,  that  is  if  he  is  the 
right  kind  of  a  teacher.  We  know  that  the  teaching  profession 
has  parasites  among  its  members  as  well  any  other  profession. 
Some  of  them  are  teaching  because  they  cannot  do  anything  else, 
while  others  teach  for  the  pleasure  in  the  profession  and  for 
the  sake  of  humanity.  The  schools  need  real  teachers — teachers 
who  are  prepared  for  this  work,  but  we  cannot  hope  to  obtain  them 
on  the  salaries  they  are  being  paid.  The  teacher  schould  receive 
a  salary  in  proportion  to  the  dignity  of  his  labor  and  position  in 
society.  Just  think !  the  teacher  to  whom  you  trust  the  bring- 
ing up  and  training  of  your  child  is  not  paid  in  many  cases  any 
more  than  the  day  laborer  in  other  professions. 

In  1920  Dillon  County  ranked  17th  in  salaries  paid  white  men 
teachers,  with  an  average  annual  salary  of  $1,100.61  and  5th  in 
salaries  paid  white  women  teachers  with  an  annual  salary  rate 
of  $690.47.  There  w-ere  fifteen  men  teachers  and  seventy  six 
women  teachers  in  the  county ;  therefore  the  average  annual  salary 
was  $769.44.  This  average  is  very  good  when  compared  with 
i^ome  other  counties  in  the  state,  but  it  is  pitifully  small  when 
viewed   in   terms   of  service  rendered. 

Below  are  some  of  the  average  salaries  paid  in  other  professions. 
These  figures  are  derived  from  the  report  of  the  labor  division 
of  the  State  Department  of  Agriculture,  Commerce  and  Industries, 
for  the  year  1920.  The  cotton  seed  oil  mill  employees  received 
on  an  average  $1.3.'>2.13.  The  men  in  the  textile  industry  receive 
annually  on  the  average  $1,(X)1.10.  and  the  women  $099.18.  The 
electrical  employees  are  paid  $2,398.33,  and  maiuifacturers  of  ice 
receive  $1,408.50.  From  these  figures  it  may  be  seen  that  we  must 
pay  our  teachers  more  if  we  expect  to  keep  them  in  the  teaching 
profession.      It    is    true    they    have   received    more    in    the   last    few 


Dillon  C'ointv:  Economic  and  ^Social 


V 


years,  but  they  never  have  received  what  they  really  should.  Ilavt- 
you  ever  stoppeil  to  think  of  the  time  and  expense  the  teachin;^ 
profession   recpiires  in   preparation V 

The  averat^e  annual  salary  paid  whitr  iiieu  teachers  increased 
103  per  cent  from  1910-1!)20,  while  the  salary  paid  white  women 
teachers  increased  193  per  cent.  This  is  ii  substantial  increase 
but  it  has  not  any  more  than  kept  pace  with  the  increased  cost 
of    livintx. 


CHART  NUMBER 


A   graphic   reprtsen^aiton  of  the 
condrtion  of    Oilton     Coonii^    3chool» 


DILLON 

COUNTY 

MilTE 

SCHOOLS 


DILLON 
COUNTT 

SOUTH 

CAmm 


Consolidation. 

Real  consolidation  of  schools  implies  more  than  eradication  of 
one  teacher  schools.  It  means  providing  for  a  good  graded  school 
education  and  high  school  facilities  within  the  reach  of  every  one. 
The  rural  boy  and  girl  is  entitled  to  educational  o])portvniities 
equivalent  to  those  of  the  city  boy  and  girl  and  consolidation 
provides  the  effective  way  in  which  this  eiut  may  be  accom- 
plished. In  the  full  sense  of  the  con.solidated  school,  Dillon  falls 
far  short  of  the  progress  which  it  really  should  be  making  along 
this   line. 

The  advantages  of  consolidated  schools  are  as  follows  :  They  increase 
the  attendance;  make  the  attendance  more  regular;  increa.se  the 
enrollment ;  keep  the  older  pupils  in  school  longer ;  provide  high 
school  privileges  at  one-third  cost;  make  possible  the  securing  of 
traimnl  teachers;  make  po.ssible  more  and  better  grade  work; 
improve  industrial  conditions  in  the  country;  enrich  the  civic 
social  life  activities;  conserve  more  largely  the  health  and 'morals 
of  the  children ;  increase  the  number  of  eighth  grade  comi)letions ;  pro- 


46  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

vide  adequate  supervision ;  reduce  truancy  and  tardiness ;  develop 
better  school  spirit;  give  more  time  for  recitations;  increase  the 
value  of  real  estate ;  produce  greater  pride  and  interest  in  country 
life;  prevent  the  drift  to  larger  towns  and  cities;  bring  more 
and  better  equipped  buildings ;  eliminate  the  small,  weak  school ; 
create  a  school  of  greater  worth,  dignity  and  usefulness ;  make 
possible  a  more  economical  school;  provide  equal  educational  oppor- 
tunities ;    give   much   greater   and   better   results    in   every    way. 

When  the  school  districts  were  formed  it  was  necessary  to  carry 
the  schools  to  the  pupils,  but  now  things  are  different.  Good  roads 
and  trucks  make  possible  the  transportation  of  the  pupils  to  the 
school  at  the  expense  of  the  county,  and  it  has  been  very  much 
more  economical,  to  so  arrange  the  situation  than  to  multiply 
school  units.  It  would  be  a  good  idea  to  lay  out  the  county  for 
consolidated  districts  and  work  towards  securing  the  support  of 
all  the  patrons  in  each  district  for  bringing  about  the  needed  con- 
solidation. 

Negro  Schools. 

Dillon  County  should  give  the  negro  better  educational  advantages ; 
for  in  so  doing  they  would  improve  the  condition  of  both  the  whites 
and  blacks.  With  the  right  kind  of  education  the  negro  would 
make  a  more  useful  and  efficient  laborer.  He  should  be  taught 
hygiene  and  sanitation  especially ;  for  so  long  as  the  sanitary  con- 
dition of  the  negro  is  bad,  diseases  will  continue  to  spread.  When 
one  employs  a  cook  or  a  nurse  who  has  some  contagious  disease 
it  is  almost  a  certainty  that  some  member  of  the  family  will 
contract  that  disease.  The  young  child  gets  some  lasting  impres- 
sions from  his  nurse,  therefore  it  is  all  the  more  important  for 
the  negro  to  have  the  right  kind  of  training. 

In  1920  we  spent  $123,492.69  for  white  schools  and  $9,091.18  for 
negro  schools.  The  per  capita  expenditures  for  whites  was  only 
$3-5.07  while  that  for  the  negro  was  only  $2.34. 

Ten  Year  Gains  in  Dillon  County  Schools. 

inOD-lOlO  1910-1020       Per 

cent 

Gain. 

Total   revenues    $25,242.40         $114,356.71       475 

Spent  for  teachers'  salaries    $23,100.00  $78,841.93       241 

Expenditures    $24,187.52         $123,583.87       448 

Total    school    population     0,828  8,111  18 

Total  .school   enrollment    4,571  7,411  02 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  47 

Per  cent  of  enrollment  in  average  at- 
tendance      't~  (i2             0!) 

Average  annual  salaries,  white  male 

teachers     $070  .$l,lt;;>.f>l       lO.'J 

Average      annual      salaries.      white 

women   teachers    $234  $600.47       1!J3 

Average  annual  salaries,  negro  male 

teachers    ip\T2  $281 .87        34 

Average      annual      salaries,      negro 

women    teachers    $78  $175.08      12;") 

Total  value  of  school  property,  white  $111,000.00  $345,300.00      21!) 

Total  value  of  school  property,  negro  $11,500.00  $20,828.00         81 

Number  of  local  tax  districts 2-;  25 

Number  with  extra  levy    20  25             25 

Number  of  town  schools    2  8           300 

Number  of  country   schools    25  20 

Number  of  white  teachers    58  91             57 

Number  of  white  school  houses    ...  27  2G 

Rank  of  Dillon  County  in  School  Matters. 

0th — in    per    capita    expenditures    according    to    enroll- 
ment.  1020— whites    $35.07 

Darlington  1st  with  $72.(iO ;   Abbeville  4(>th  with 
$1G.G0. 

2Gth — in    per    capita    expenditures    according    to    enroll- 
ment,  1020— negro    $2.34 

Charleston  1st  with  $11.57;   Bamberg  4Gth  with 
$1.45. 
5th — in    per    capita    expenditures    according    to    enroll- 
ment, 1020,  whites  and  blacks   $17.89 

Charleston  1st  with  $33.11 ;  McCormick  46th  with 
$7.23. 

11th — in  per  capita  investment  in  school  property,  1920.  $12.46 

Florence    1st    with    $29.02;    Fairfield    4Gth    with 
$2.77. 

22nd — in  receipts   from   state   appropriations,   1020 — both 

races    $18,212.00 

Spartanburg    1st    with    $40,511.38;    Jasper    4Gth 
with  $3,180. 

2Sth — in  average  length  of  session  in  white  town  schools, 

1020— days     166 

Calhoun  1st  with  180;  Horrv  4Gth  with  13G. 


48  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

21st — in    average    length    of    session    in    days    in    white 

country    schools,    1920 — days    129 

Charleston  1st  with  159;  Cherokee  4r.th  with  90. 
5th — in  average  number  of  pupils  to  teacher  according 

to   average   attendance,    1919 KJ 

Jasper  and  Williamsburg  rank  1st  with  15  each. 
State  average,  21. 

29th — in  average  number  of  pupils  to  teacher,  according 

to  enrollment,  1919    27 

Beaufort,  Berkeley  and  Jasper  rank  1st  with  23 
each.     State  average  is  33. 
1st — in  per  cent  of  schools  that  are  one  teacher  schools, 

1921 — per   cent    4 

Darlington  2nd  with  10.34  per  cent ;  Georgetown 
and    Beaufort    last    with    7(1.47    per    cent.      State 
average  40  per  cent. 
5th — in    average    salaries    paid    white    women    teachers, 

1920     .$690.47 

Charleston  1st  with  $890.25;  Lexington  ir.tli  with 
$385.88. 

17th — in  average  salaries  paid  white  men  teachers.  1920;       $1,109.01 
Charleston    1st    with    $2,317.02;    Lexington    4(:;th 
with   $537.00. 

17th — in   average   number   of  pupils   to   school   according 

to  average  attendance,  1919   49 

Charleston  1st  wath  114;  Jasper  4(;tli  witli  21. 
State   average   51. 

45th — in  percentage  of  enrollment  wliite  iiupils  in  regular 

attendance.    1920    G0.8G 

Georgetown  1st  with  S0.S9  per  cent:  Cherokee 
4Gth  with  00.3  j)er  cent.  State  average  07.91 
per  cent. 

ISth — in   average  number   of   pupils   to   school    according 

to    enrollment,    1920    81 

Charleston  1st  with  159;  Berkeley  last  with  31. 
State  average  SI. 

14th— in  total  value  of  all  school  lU'operty,  1921 $375,128 

Greenville  1st  with  $2,508,374;  Jasper  4(;th 
with  $38,042. 

38th — in  number  of  local  school  tax  districts,  1920 25 

Greenville   1st   with   97;    Beaufort   last  with  9. 


VII. 

DILLON  AGRICULTURE 


Edgar  T.   Thompson 


Dillon  County  Predominantly  Agricultural. 

In  our  discussion  of  Dillon  County  and  her  problems  it  must  be 
remembered  that  our  county  is  and  always  has  been  predomi- 
nantly agricultural.  By  far  the  irreatest  part  of  our  county 
wealth  is  made  up  of  farm  property.  The  population  of  the 
comity  living  outside  of  incorporated  towns  is  87.3  per  cent  of  the 
whole  and  a  large  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  towns  are  directly 
dependent  on  agriculture  for  a  livelihood.  All  of  the  eight  in- 
corporated towns  of  the  county  with  the  exception  of  Dillon 
and  Latta  have»  under  700  inhabitants. 

In  1010  we  were  outranked  by  only  eleven  counties  in  the  state 
in  the  annual  value  of  farm  wealth  produced  and  these  counties 
were  in  every  case  much  larger  in  population  and  territory  than 
Dillon.  The  value  of  the  annual  products  at  that  time  amounted 
to  ,$4,481,075.  We  note  that  83  per  cent,  or  $3,557,209,  of  this 
amount  consisted  of  non-food  crops,  especially  cotton.  Five  counties 
outranked  us  in  this  particular. 

In  1920  the  total  value  of  all  crops  in  the  county  was  $14,022,125 
according  to  the  last  census  report.  Of  this  figure  SO  pei  cent  or 
$11,685,104,  consisted  of  non-food  crops.  Thirty-four  counties 
outranked  us  in  having  a  smaller  percentage.  Our  rank  in  the  value 
of  non-food   crops   was   Cth    among   the   counties. 

But  of  this  annual  wealth  produced  only  a  small  proportion  re- 
mains in  the  county.  It  is  useless  and  foolish  to  produce  great 
wealth  and  send  it  out  of  the  county  and  state  for  commodities 
which  might  just  as  well  have  been  produced  at  home.  So  much 
of  our  money  goes  to  enrich  western  farmers  who  produce  the 
bulk  of  the  food  and  feed  that  our  farm  animals  and  our  farm 
folks  consume  year  by  year.  Government  experiments  have 
proven  that  the  man  who  raises  food  and  feed  crops  along  with 
his  cotton  and  tobacco  is  invariably  in  a  much  better  condition  than 
his  neighbor  who  raises  cotton  and  tobacco  exclusively  and  buys 
his  food  and  feed. 


50  ,    Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

Idle  Lands. 

One  of  the  greatest  problems  of  Dillon  County,  although  not  as 
great  as  with  other  counties,  is  our  sparsely  settled  rural  districts 
and  our  large  idle  area.  It  goes  without  argument  that  we  need 
more  white  people  in  Dillon  County.  While  we  are  outranked 
by  only  ten  counties  in  the  state  in  rural  population  per  square 
mile  with  53.7,  still  our  country  population  is  much  too  small. 

Captains  of  industry  are  careful  that  their  entire  plants  are  in  op- 
eration all  the  time.  Not  so  with  our  farmers ;  for  in  1920  Dillon 
County  had  24,257  idle  acres  of  land.  Forty  counties  had  more. 
If  we  set  aside  50,000  acres  of  woodland  as  a  permanent  source 
of  fuel  and  timber  and  allow  15  acres  of  farming  land  to  each 
new-comer  then  we  have  room  for  1,617  new  farm  settlers  or  about 
323  new  families  of  five  members  each.  Due  to  the  fact  that  ours 
is  a  small  county  we  outrank  only  five  other  counties  in  room 
for  new  settlers.  Dillon  County  needs  this  increase  in  farm  popu- 
lation for  we  need  to  put  into  active  use  our  capital  invested  in 
wilderness   acres. 

Farm  Tenancy. 

But  the  greatest  problem  which  we  have  to  face  is  our  yearly 
increasing  amount  of  farm  tenancy.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  82.1 
per  cent  of  the  farmers  of  Dillon  County  do  not  own  the  farms 
they  operate  or  the  homes  in  which  they  live  it  seems  imperative 
that  this  condition  should  receive  serious  consideration.  The 
State  of  South  Carolina  with  G4.5  per  cent  of  all  farms 
operated  by  tenants  ranks  third  among  the  states  of  the  nation 
in  amount  of  farm  tenancy  and  Dillon  County  is  outranked  by 
only  one  other  county  in  the  state,  Marlboro,  making  it  safe  to  say 
that  this  county  ranks  among  the  first  in  the  United  States. 
We  have  no  reason  to  feel  proud  of  this  fact.  The  relationship 
which  farm  tenure  bears  to  the  economic  and  social  life  of  the 
state  does  not  occupy  in  the  minds  of  the  leaders  of  thought  that 
position  its  importance  would  justify.  And  the  situation  is  intensi- 
fied when  it  is  realized  that  tenancy  is  steadily  on  the  increase. 

As  has  been  stated  82.1  per  cent,  or  1,934  farms  out  of  the 
2,824  farms  in  Dillon  County,  are  operated  by  tenants.  Of  these 
farms  1,771,  or  92  per  cent,  are  operated  by  share  tenants  and  only  70 
farms,  or  4  per  cent,  are  operated  by  cash  tenants. 

Of  the  177,671  acres  in  farms  in  Dillon  County  in  1920,  107,329 
acres,  or  60.4  per  cent,  were  operated  by  tenants.  In  other  words, 
82.1  per  cent  of  all  farms  and  only  60.4  per  cent  of  the  land  in  farms 
were  operated  by  tenants.    This  condition  is  to  be  expected  for  it  is 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  51 

evidout  that  the  farm  operated  by  the  tenant  is  smaller  than 
the  farm  operated  by  the  owner. 

One  of  the  worst  features  of  farm  tenancy  is  that  it  is  con- 
stantly on  the  increase  in  most  of  the  counties  of  the  state.  In 
1910,  72.7  per  cent  of  Dillon  County  farms  were  operated  by  tenants. 
By  1920  the  amount  of  tenancy  had  increased  9.4  per  cent.  Altho  in 
1910  we  were  near  the  top  of  the  list  of  counties  yet  our  percentage 
increase  to  1920  was  exceeded  by  only  two  other  counties.  Dorchester 
and  Hampton. 

Farm  tenancy  is  a  glaring  problem  that  calls  upon  the  patriotism 
of  the  state.  The  evil  that  it  fosters  and  its  deadening  influence 
must  be  nullified.  Tenancy  runs  hand  in  hand  with  illiteracy. 
Statistics  have  shown  that  in  the  counties  where  the  percentage 
of  white  tenancy  is  highest,  there  also  is  found  the  highest  per- 
centage of  white  illiteracy.  The  average  for  six  counties  in  the 
state  having  the  largest  percentage  of  share  tenancy  shows 
that  there  is  a  percentage  of  15.1  in  white  illiteracy,  while  for  the 
four  counties  having  the  smallest  percentage  of  share  tenancy, 
only  5.5  per  cent  illiteracy  prevails. 

In  its  best  forms,  tenancy  in  a  limited  amount  may  be  a  good 
thing  because  it  is  an  institution  which  provides  for  getting  the  land 
into  the  hands  of  those  who  are  in  a  position  to  cultivate  it.  In 
the  North  and  West  a  large  population  of  tenant  farmers  are 
young  men  who  are  in  the  process  of  earning  enough  money  to  buy 
a  farm.  But  this  does  not  hold  true  in  the  South  where  "once 
a  tenant  always  a  tenant"  is  very  nearly  the  real  condition.  The 
average  tenant  in  the  South  is  such  because  economic  conditions 
prevent  liim  from  buying  land,  or  else  he  is  lacking  in  industry, 
thrift  or  sagacity. 

To  make  every  tenant  a  landowning  farmer  would  not  be  desirable, 
even  tho  it  were  practical.  There  are  many,  particularly  in  the 
case  of  the  negro,  who  thrive  better  as  share  tenants  and  crop- 
pers under  the  close  supervision  of  their  landlord  than  they  would 
were  they  their  their  own  bosses,  and  it  is  better  for  the  economic 
well-being  of  the  commonwealth  that  they  remain  so. 

However  for  the  thrifty  young  white  man  there  should  be  no 
barrier  placed  in  his  way  to  speedy  ownership  of  his  own  farm 
and  home.  The  sense  of  this  ownership  breeds  in  him  qualities 
of  self  respect  that  make  him  a  stable  element  in  the  community, 
a  greater  social  factor  in  his  neighborhood,  a  center  of  wealth 
production  and  retention,  and  one  whose  interests  encompass  the 
development  of  the  neighborhood,  community,  county,  state  and 
nation.  A  study  of  farm  tenancy  in  a  typical  up-country  commiuiity 
shows  that   the  young  fellow   who  starts  out  working  hard,  living 


52  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

within  liis  income  and  saving  all  he  can,  is  the  one  who  steps 
out  of  the  tenant  class  into  the  owner  group.  There  are  no  insu- 
perable barriers  to  ownership  as  yet,  except  those  of  ranlc  mis- 
fortune, in  a  state  where  50.2  per  cent  of  our  farm  lands  are 
lying  idle.  The  principle  obstacles  in  the  way  of  ownership  in 
South  Carolina  are  a  lack  of  ideals  of  ownership  and  a  great  deal 
of  ignorance,  indolence  and  thriftlessness. 

The  situation  assumes  unusual  importance  when  we  consider  its 
relationship  to  the  existing  boll  weevil  situation.  It  is  the  tenant 
farmer  who  will  find  the  matter  of  adjustment  most  difficult.  He 
has  never  leaned  toward  the  system  of  safe  farming  which  makes 
him  provide  his  food  and  feed  supplies  at  home ;  and  it  is  going 
to  be  hard  to  instill  in  him  as  quickly  as  necessary  new  methods  of 
farming  which  must  be  learned  to  accommodate  an  enforced  change 
from   the   present   system   of   agriculture. 

The  opportunities  of  landowners,  merchants,  bankers,  and  busi- 
ness men  to  aid  in  this  pi'ogram  of  education  for  readjustment 
constitutes  a  responsibility,  for  it  is  the  tenant  farmer  as  a  rule 
who  is  the  most  inaccessible  to  the  ordinary  methods  of  propa- 
ganda. He  must  be  reached  bj'  the  direct  contact  of  those  who 
are  accustomed  to  advise  him  in  his  business  affairs.  Everything 
possible  should  be  done  to  stimulate  the  owners  living  on  their 
own  farms  and  taking  an  active  interest  in  the  vital  matters  of 
maintaining  soil  fertility  and  building  up  conununity  lite. 

Size  of  Farms. 

In  1910  Dillon  County  had  2,659  farms.  In  1920  there  were 
3,440  farms  in  the  county  or  781  more  than  in  1910.  Thirty-one 
counties  have  more  farms  than  Dillon  County.  The  following 
table  for  1910  and  1920,  compiled  from  the  last  two  United  States 
census  reports,  shows  how  our  farms  were  classified  according  to 
size  in  those  years : 

Classification  of  Farms  in  Dillon  County  According  to  Size. 

1010  1920 

Under   3    acres    4  1 

3  to       9  acres      78  68 

10  to     19  acres    2."jO  577 

-  20  to     49  acres     1.283  1.855 

50  to    99  acres     561  620 

100  to  174  acres    302  194 

175  to  250  acres    97  60 

260  to  499  acres    58  39 

500  to  999  acres     21  19 

1,000  acres  and  over   5  7 


A   FEW   DILLON    COUNTY   COUNTRY    HOMES 
The  Best  Way  to  Keep  the  Country  Boy  and  Girl  on  the  Farm. 


Dii.Lox  County:  Px:oNO!sric  and  Social  53 

From  this  table  we  note  that  farms  of  from  20  to  49  acres 
seem  to  be  the  most  popular  size  in  Dillon  County.  In  1910  when 
there  were  175,476  acres  in  farm  land  in  the  county,  the  average  size 
farm  was  65.9  acres.  By  1920  when  there  were  177,671  acres  in  farm 
hind,  the  average  farm  had  dn)i)pe(l  to  51.6  acres. 

According  to  the  1910  census  the  percentage  of  farm  land  im- 
proved in  Dillon  County  was  5S.2  per  cent.  In  this  respect  we 
ranked  l.'Uh  among  the  counties  of  the  state.  The  census  definition 
of  improved  land  is  "all  land  regularly  tilled  or  mowed,  land 
pastured  and  cropped  in  rotation,  land  lying  fallow,  land  in  gardens, 
orchards,  nurseries,  and  land  occupied  by  buildings."  In  the 
average  improved  acreage  per  farm  in  1920  Dillon  County  ranked 
31st  among  the  counties  with  30.1  acres. 

Drainage. 

Proper  drainage  insures  a  high  degree  of  profitable  agriculture 
and  the  best  healthful  conditions.  Acres  of  land  now  filled  with 
swamps  and  stagnant  water  which  breed  mosquitoes  and  give 
rise  to  malaria  could  be  made  to  produce  magnificent  crops  and 
return  large  profits.  Dillon  County  has  more  undrained  land  than 
we  would  ordinarily  suppose.  According  to  the  1920  census,  960 
farms  reported  having  drainage  and  945  farms  as  needing  drain- 
age. No  report  came  from  the  renmining  1,533  farms  but  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  many  of  them  are  in  great  need  of  drainage.  In  terms 
of  acres,  there  were  28,044  acres  of  farm  land  reported  as  provided 
with  drainage  and  21,900  acres  of  farm  land  as  needing  drainage. 

South  Carolina  has  over  3,000,000  acres  of  overflowed,  wet  and 
swampy  lands,  or  nearly  one-sixth  the  area  of  the  state.  The.se 
undrained  acres  are  generally  of  great  natural  fertility  and  their 
drainage  is  of  great  economic  importance  to  individuals  and  to 
the  State. 

To  promote  drainage,  the  South  Carolina  Drainage  Act  was 
passed  in  1912  for  the  formation  of  drainage  districts  making 
large  drainage  undertakings  possible.  But  on  December  31,  1919, 
organized  drainage  enterprises  covered  only  eight-tenths  of  1  per 
cent  of  the  total  area  of  undrained  land. 

The  lands  most  immediately  in  need  of  drainage  are  the  wet  por- 
tions of  cultivated  farms.  A  great  deal  of  the  drainage  of  these 
lands  can  be  done  by  the  individual  owner  to  his  great  profit.  The 
average  cost  of  the  tile  drainage  systems  is  about  $30.00  per  acre. 
The  average  increase  in  the  value  of  crops  grown  on  tile  drained  land 
is  $15.00  per  acre  which  is  a  yearly  dividend  of  50  per  cent  on  the 
cost   of  drainage. 


54  Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social 

A  casual  survey  of  a  map  of  Dillon  County  shows  the  exten- 
siveness  of  the  swamp  and  branch  area,  some  of  which  might  be 
drained   with   profit. 

Cotton  and  the  Boll  Weevil  Problem. 

According  to  the  1920  census  report  the  total  value  of  all  crops 
in  Dillon  County  was  $27,098,150.  Of  this  amount  $11,685,104,  or  43 
per  cent,  was  produced  by  the  cotton  crop.  The  county  ranks  18th 
among  the  counties  in  the  number  of  bales  produced  with  38,000. 
Five  counties,  Marlboro,  Darlington,  Lee,  Calhoun,  and  Clarendon, 
outranked  Dillon  in  the  average  number  of  pounds  produced  per 
acre.  Marlboro  County  led  the  state  with  336  pounds  per  acre 
while  Dillon's  average  was  299  pounds  per  aci'e. 

From  these  figures  it  is  evident  that  cotton  is  the  dominant  field 
crop  of  Dillon  County.  Since  1793  when  Eli  Whitney  invented  the 
cotton  gin,  cotton  production  has  gone  forward  by  leaps  and 
bounds  all  over  the  South  and  especially  in  South  Carolina.  So  fast 
has  it  advanced  in  the  Pee  Dee  section  of  the  State  that  in  1920 
the  cotton  acreage  for  Dillon  County  alone  was  considerably  over 
that  of  the  whole  of  old  Marion  County  in  1885.  "We  have  only 
to  note  that  cotton  acreage  in  Dillon  County  in  1920  was  33  per  cent 
of  the  total  land  in  farms  to  realize  that  Dillon  County  is  in  the 
list  of  counties  practicing  the  one-crop  system. 

There  are  seven  fundamental  evils  to  this  plan  of  farming. 
First :  It  impoverishes  the  soil.  Second :  It  increases  the  risk  of 
the  farming  enterprise.  Third :  It  makes  the  supply  of  money 
available  at  one  time  and  develops  the  time-credit  system. 
Fourth :  It  makes  the  marketing  machinery  difficult.  Fifth :  It 
makes  for  idleness  of  machinery  and  labor.  Sixth :  It  lowers  the 
general  intelligence  of  farm  labor.  Seventh :  As  long  as  we  persist  in 
employing  the  one-crop  system  we  need  not  ever  expect  to  be  a  self- 
sufficing  county  in  food  and  feed  supply. 

Diversification  of  crops  will  be  brought  about  earlier  than  it 
normally  would  have  come  as  a  result  of  the  boll  weevil.  This 
great  pest  crossed  the  Rio  Grande  River  into  Texas  at  Brownsville 
about  1892  and  caused  considerable  loss.  And  yet  farmers  in 
Dillon  County  are  very  little  better  prepared  to  cope  with  the 
insect  than  were  the  people  of  Brownsville,  Texas  thirty  years  ago. 
The  weevil  has  now  about  reached  the  limit  of  cotton  cultivation. 
The  entire  state  of  South  Carolina  has  been  covered  by  its  advance 
and  60,662  square  miles  in  the  cotton  belt  were  invaded  last  year. 

A  committee  of  farmers  and  business  men  headed  by  Mr.  D.  R. 
Coker  of  Ilartsville,  investigating  the  boll  weevil  problem  in  South 
Carolina,   made   seven   suggestions   for   its   control   and   eradication. 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  55 

First :  Destroy  immediately  all  cotton  stalks  as  soon  as  the  crop 
is  gathered.  Second :  Durinj?  the  fall  and  winter  destroy  all 
cover  in  which  the  weevil  may  he  hiding.  Third :  Cotton  should  be 
liberally  fertilized  with  a  quick  actini?  fertilizer.  Fourth :  Early 
planting  of  approved  variety  of  cotton  with  plenty  of  seed.  Fifth  : 
Cotton  should  be  left  thick  in  the  drill.  Sixth :  Poisoning  the 
boll  weevil  may  be  done  by  the  use  of  calcium  arsenate  if  done 
at  the  proper  time  and  under  favorable  conditions.  Seventh :  Rota- 
tion of  crops. 

It  often  takes  a  great  calamity  to  awaken  a  people  and  teach  them 
important  lessons.  The  boll  weevil  has  been  and  is  a  thorn  in  the 
side  of  the  South  but  its  advent  has  unquestionably  given  it  a 
new  agriculture.  We  can  turn  our  apparent  disaster  into  a  great 
benefit  if  we  use  old  cotton  lands  for  the  production  of  f<)o<l  and 
feedstuffs. 

Tobacco. 

Within  the  past  few  years  Dillon  County  has  verj^  extensively 
taken  up  the  cultivation  of  tobacco.  In  1920  only  five  other  counties 
produced  larger  yields  than  Dillon,  namely :  Florence,  Williamsburg, 
Darlington,  Horry  and  Marion.  Dillon  County  produced  5,850,000 
pounds  or  an  average  of  650  pounds  per  acre.  In  this  respect  we 
tied   with    Horry    County    for   seventh   place. 

Dillon  is  well  provided  with  warehouses,  there  being  seven 
in  the  county.  Most  of  these  liave  been  turned  over  to  the  Tobacco 
Growers  Cooperative  Marketing  Association. 

Tobacco  requires  high  grade  cultivation  and  a  great  deal  of 
fertilizer.  It  is  a  cash  crop  and  is  liarvested  between  spring  grain 
and  cotton,  thus  bringing  money  into  circulation  during  the  sum- 
mer months.  With  the  boll  weevil  threatening  our  cotton  crop 
tobacco  promises  to  make  a  good  substitute.  But  tobacco  growing 
is  a  severe  drain  on  the  fertility  of  the  soil  so  the  tobacco  farmer 
should  by  all  means  rotate  his  crops  and  never  allow  the  same 
land  to  grow  tobacco  two  years  in  succession. 

Corn. 

In  1920  Dillon  County  produced  864,000  bushels  of  corn,  or 
an  increase  of  389,083  bushels  over  1910.  Only  three  counties, 
Anderson,  Aiken,  and  Allendale,  outranked  Dillon  in  the  increase. 
Dillon  County  also  ranked  fourth  in  the  percentage  inci'ease  from 
1910  to  1920  with  84.3  per  cent.  In  corn  production  per  capita, 
Dillon  County  ranked  12th  among  the  counties  with  21.7  bushels 
per  person. 


56      ,         Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

In  1919  the  average  number  of  bushels  produced  per  acre  in  Dillon 
County  was  21.7.  Charleston,  Beaufort,  and  Darlington  were  the 
only  counties  outranking  us  in  this  respect.  Almost  equalling  the 
record  of  Jerry  Moore  of  Florence  and  Captain  Drake  of  Marlboro, 
Claude  McDonald,  a  Dillon  County  boy,  in  1913  produced  211 
bushels  of  corn  on  a  single  acre  and  won  a  state  championship. 
In  1915  Carey  McKenzie  made  196  bushels  on  an  acre  at  a  cost  of 
only  nine  cents  per  bushel.  No  credit  is  given  young  McKenzie 
for  economy  of  production  but  an  otficial  in  the  Department  of 
Agriculture  says  this  is  a  world's  record. 

Sweet  Potatoes. 

In  1910  there  were  843  acres  planted  in  sweet  potatoes  with  a 
yield  of  135.424  bushels.  According  to  the  Bureau  of  Crop  Estimates, 
in  1920  there  were  1.30O  acres  planted  with  a  yield  of  162.500  bushels. 
In  the  same  year  we  led  the  state  in  the  yield  per  acre  with 
125  bushels. 

Why  should  the  boll  weevil  cause  Dillon  County  such  worry 
and  concern?  Few  counties  in  the  state  can  boast  such  records  as 
those  made  in  corn  and  sweet  potatoes  by  Dillon  County.  When  we 
have  learned  that  foodstuffs  can  be  grown  more  profitably  than  they 
can  be  bought,  low  priced  cotton,  the  one-crop  system,  the  boll 
weevil  and  many  others  of  our  worries  will  cease  to  bother  us. 

Our  Livestock  Situation. 

Statistics  show  that  Dillon  County  is  lagging  in  the  matter  of 
livestock  production.  Our  farmers  should  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that 
a  high  per  capita  country  wealth  goes  hand  in  hand  with  an  abun- 
dance of  domestic  animals  and  that  low  per  capita  wealth  is 
always  found  where  cattle  and  other  farm  animals  are  lacking. 

Compiled  statistics  from  the  1920  census  gives  Dillon  County  a 
rank  of  25th  among  the  counties  in  the  per  capita  value  of  live- 
stock products  with  a  value  of  only  $9.40.  Edgefield  County  led  the 
state  with  $22.06.  Our  increase  from  1910  to  1920  in  the  number  of 
hogs  was  75  per  cent.  Our  rank  in  this  regard  was  22nd.  Anderson 
County  showed  the  greatest  progress  with  an  increase  of  276  per 
cent.  Dillon  County  takes  a  better  stand  in  per  capita  produc- 
tion of  pork  with  98.8  pounds  per  person.  Our  rank  here  was 
12th  among  the  counties.  Dillon  County  led  the  state  in  the  increase 
in  the  number  of  cattle  between  1910  and  1920  with  109  per  cent. 
Very  different  is  our  rank  in  regard  to  beef  production  in  pounds 
per  person  in  1920.  In  this  particular  our  rank  was  34th  with 
8.6  pounds  per  person. 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  57 

From  1910  to  1920  Dillon's  poultry  iiicTOiiso  was  48.3  per  cent, 
{jiviiiR  her  a  rank  of  16th  among  the  counties  of  the  state.  In  the 
number  of  pounds  of  poultry  per  person  the  county  ranks  13th 
with  10.3  pounds.  Saluda  County  ranks  first  in  this  item  with 
15.4  pounds  per  person. 

Horses  have  increased  rather  slowly — from  1,055  in  1910  to 
1,179  in  19L'(>.  But  this  is  probably  due  to  the  advancement  of 
farm  machinery  and  the  f^rowin.i;  popularity  of  automobiles.  On  the 
other  hand,  mules  increased  from  2.909  in  1910  to  4,420  in  1920. 

Machinery  on  the  Farm. 

Dillon  ranks  fourth  in  the  amount  of  money  spent  for  implements 
and  machinery  on  improved  land  per  acre  in  1920  with  $10.55. 
We  were  outranked  by  Anderson,  Lexington  and  Greenville.  The 
state  avei-age  is  $7.77.  , 

No  doubt  Dillon's  high  rank  as  an  agricultural  county  is  largely 
due  to  our  extensive  use  of  up-to-date  farm  machinery.  Modern  farm 
machinery  is  indispensable  to  the  farmer  who  would  progress  and 
keep  apace  with  the  farmers  of  other  states  and  especially  of  the 
western    states. 

Farm  Loan  Associations. 

There  are  two  Farm  Loan  Associations  in  Dillon  County.  One 
at  Latta  has  closed  IS  loans  for  farmers  amounting  to  $102,550. 
In  addition,  loans  to  the  amount  of  $180,450  had  been  applied 
for  in  April,  1922.  The  Association  at  Dillon  has  closed  ten 
loans   amounting   to   $65,300   and   $65,500  has   been    applied   for. 

This  shows  that  our  farmers  are  beginning  to  realize  the  value 
of  the  Federal  Land  Bank  in  extending  credit  on  farm  security. 
The  general  purposes  of  the  bank  are  to  lower  and  equalize  interest 
rates  on  first  mortgage  loans;  to  provide  long  term  loans  with  the 
privilege  of  repayment  in  installments  thru  a  long  or  short  period 
of  years,  at  the  borrower's  option  ;  to  stimulate  co-operative  action 
among  families ;  to  make  it  easier  for  the  landless  to  get  land ;  and 
to  provide   safe  and   sound   long  term   investments   fo;    the   thrifty. 

The  Land  Bank  is  steadil.y  growing  in  popularity  with  farmers 
who  have  become  acquainted  with  its  methods  of  doing  business  and 
it  has  enabled  scores  of  men  to  go  into  farming  on  their  own 
responsibility  who  otherwise  would  have  been  doomed  to  the  fate 
of  tenants. 

Facts  About  Dillon  Agriculture. 

Rank 

15th— in  the  value  of  all  farm  property,  1920 $22,055,053.00 

12th — in    annual    farm    wealth    produced,    1910    4,481,075.00 


58  Dillon  County;  Economic  and  Social 

34tli — in  precentage  increase  in  farm  wealtli,  1910-1920, 

per  cent  1 13.4 

Georgetown  first  with  244.;")  per  cent. 
Increase  for  state  143  per  cent. 
Gth — in  the  percentage  tliat  non-food  crops  are  of  tlie 

annual  farm  wealtti  produced,  1910,  per  cent.    . .  87.3 

35tii — in  the  percentage  that  non-food  crops  are  of  the 
total  value  of  all  crops  in  Dillon  County,  1920, 

per   cent    80.0 

Value  of  all  crops,  1920,  $14,022,125. 

6ih— in  the  value  of  non-food  crops,  1920 $11,085,104.00 

Orangeburg  first  with  $18,216,362  ; 
Jasper  last  with  $471,371. 

5th — in  value  of  crops  per  acre,  1920 .$48.00 

Beaufort  first  with  $72.00; 
York  last  with  $27.00. 

2nd — in  per  capita  crop  values,  1920   $219.95 

Calhoun  first  with  $234.01 ; 
Charleston  last  with  $25.37. 

7th — in  cotton  production  in  bales.  1921    35,000 

Spartanburg  first  with  71.000; 
Beaufort   last  with  500. 

18th— in  cotton  production  in  bales,  1920   38,000 

Orangeburg   first    with    98,000; 
Beaufort  last  with  400. 

6th — in  production  in  pounds  of  tobacco,  1920   5,850,000 

Florence  first  with  9,900,000. 

7th — in  yield  per  acre  of  tobacco,  pounds,  1920 650 

Marion  first  with  670  pounds. 
6th — in  cotton  production  in  pounds  per  acre,  1920  ....  299 

Marlboro  first  with  336  pounds ; 
Georgetown  last  with    183  pounds. 

30th — in  bushels  of  wheat  per  capita   .1 

Lexington  first  with  1.9  bushels. 

1st — in  production  in  bushels  of  wheat  per  acre 13 

State  average  7.4  bushels. 
7th — in  production  in  bushels  of  oats  per  acre,  1 920  . . .  22.5 

Marlboro  first  with  28  bushels; 
State   average.   18.3   bushels. 

3rd — in  bushels  of  oats  per  capita,  1920 5.6 

Saluda  first  with  10.2  bushels ; 
State  average,  2.1  bushels. 


Dillon  County:  Economk   and  Soclal  59 

4th — in  corn  production   in  bushel.s  per  acre,  1020...  21.7 

Charleston   first   with  23.6  bushels ; 
State  average,  15  bu.shels. 

12th — in  bushels  of  corn  raised  per  capita   21.7 

Calhoun  first'  with  ;>1.S  bushels ; 
State  average,  16.3  bushels. 
4th — in  percentage  increase  in  corn   [»ro(luction,  1010- 

1920,  per  cent    84.3 

Charleston  first  with  10S.2  per  cent. 
4th — in  number  of  bushels  increase  in  corn  production, 

1010-1920,    bushels    389,083 

Anderson  first  with  577,080  bushels. 
22nd — in  percentage  increase  in  hogs,  1910-1920,  per  cent  75 

Anderson  first  with  276. 
2r)th — in  the  value  of  livestock  products  per  person,  1920  9.24 

Edgefield  first  with  $22.06. 
13th — in  number  of  pounds  of  poultry  per  person.  1920  10.3 

Saluda  first  with  15.4. 

16th—  in  increase  of  poultry,  1910-1920,  per  cent 48.3 

Charleston   first  with  97.4. 
12th — in  annual  pork  production  in  pounds  per  capita, 

1920     98.8 

Horry    first   with    1S3.3. 
34th — in  feed  production  in  pounds  per  person,  1920  . .  8.6 

Beaufort  first  with  129.8. 
1st — in  the  increase  in  the  number  of  cattle,  191t>-1020 

per  cent    109 

4th — in  amount  spent  for  implements  and   machinery 

on   improved  land   per  acre    $10.55 

Anderson    first    with    $11.69; 
State  average,  $7.77. 
2nd — in  percentage  of  farm  tenancy,  per  cent,  1020. .  82.1 

Marlboro  first  with  85.0  ; 
State  average,  64.5  per  cent. 

13th — in  per  cent  of  farm  land  improved   58.2 

Barnwell   first   with   68.4. 

32nd— in  number  of  farms,   1920 3,440 

Anderson  first  with  8,910. 

43rd — in  hay  and  forage  production,  tons '.  2,880 

Orangeburg  first  with  19,775. 

41st — in  room  for  new  settlers   1,617 

Horry  first  with  18,982 ; 
Allendale  last  with  256. 


60  Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social 

Agricultural  Statistics  on  the  12  Leading  Crops  of  Dillon  County 

for  1921. 

(Based  on  the  report  of  tlie  luitcd  States  Jivreaii  of  Markets  and 
Crop  Estimates.)- 

Acreage  Yield  per  Estimated 

Acre  Production  Value 

Cotton    60,000  291  ll)s.  35,000  bales  $2,800,000 

Tobacco     7,000  650     lbs.  4.550,000  lbs.  409,500 

Corn .'{1,000  19  bu.  5S9.000  bu.  435,860 

Sweet    Potatoes    1,000  107  bu.  107,000  bu.  96,300 

Irish    Potatoes    300  85  bu.  25,500  bu.  38,250 

Sorghum    Cane    100  90  gal.  9,000  gal.  6,120 

Oats     8.000  28  bu.  224,000  bu.  163,520 

Wheat     600  13  bu.  7.800  bu.  16,224 

Rye     140  11  bu.  1.540  bu.  3.850 

Peanuts     225  860  lbs.  193,500  lbs.  7,740 

Hay    4,600  4.140  tons  82,800 

Cow  Peas   6,000  36.000  bu.  63,720 


VIII. 

BALANCE  SHEET  IN  FOOD  AND  FEED 
PRODUCTION 


Dewey  Stephens. 


Deficit  in  Food  and  Feed  Production. 

From  a  study  of  data  contained  in  the  United  States  Census  of 
1920,  and  estimates  of  tlie  average  annual  consumption  of  food 
and  feed  supplies  for  man  and  beast  compiled  from  reports  from  the 
Federal  Department  of  Agriculture,  we  find  that  there  is  a  shortage 
of  $2,440,985.13  in  food  and  feed  products  in  Dillon  County.  Our 
food  and  feed  needs  for  1919  were  $4,841,498.13  and  we  pi-oduced  in 
our  county  that  year  food  and  feed  valued  at  $2,400,513.  When  we 
fail  to  produce  the  necessities  of  life  it  means  that  they  have  to 
be  imported  and  our  money  has  to  leave  the  county  to  pay  for  them. 
Why  not  raise  these  supplies  and  keep  our  money  at  home,  for 
wealth  retention  is  equally  as  important  as  wealth  production  in 
the  progress  of  a  county.  The  soil  of  Dillon  County  with  very 
little  effort  will  grow  almost  any  of  the  food  commodities  profit- 
ably ;  consequently  there  is  no  valid  excuse  for  the  existing  condition. 

If  we  were  to  include  in  the  deficit  the  money  spent  for  dainties  and 
luxuries  the  figure  for  under  production  would  be  even  more 
enormous. 

Shortage  in  Detail. 

The  shortage  in  detail  consists  of  1,057,256  pounds  of  meat ; 
1,117,072  pounds  of  butter;  228,613  fowls;  260,875  dozen  eggs; 
235,080  bushels  of  corn;  96,482  bushels  of  wheat;  and  7,333  tons 
of  hay. 

Reasons  for  Shortage. 

There  are  three  main  reasons  why  Dillon  County  fails  to  produce 
its  own  needed  food  and  feed  supplies:  (1)  excessive  farm  tenancy, 
(2)  lack  of  attention  to  food  and  feed  crops,  and  (3)  the  necessity 
for  a  ready  cash  market  for  home  raised  supplies. 

In  1920  more  than  four-fifths  of  the  farms  in  Dillon  County 
were  operated  by  people  other  than  the  owners. 


62  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  , 

There  are  only  two  other  states  that  have  a  greater  percentage 
of  tenancy  than  South  Carolina.  Mississippi  has  66.1  per  cent  and 
Georgia  66.6  per  cent.  Only  one  county  of  the  State  has  a  greater 
iJerceutage  of  tenancy  than  Dillon.  This  is  Marlboro  with  85.6 
per  cent.  As  long  as  this  system  of  farming  exists  we  will  have  a 
deficiency  in  food  and  feed  production.  There  must  be  an  ad- 
justment in  the  relation  between  the  landlord  and  tenant.  The 
landlord  must  take  something  else  for  his  rent  besides  cotton.  At 
the  present  time,  If  the  tenant  is  a  cash  tenant,  he  has  to  plant  a 
ci-op  for  which  he  can  obtain  ready  money  in  order  to  pay  his 
rent,  or  if  he  pays  rent  in  part  of  the  produce,  this  is  usually 
required  in  cotton.  If  the  tenant  is  a  share  tenant  he  is  usually  re- 
quired to  plant  cotton  or  tobacco — usually  cotton. 

Tenancy  and  illiteracy  usually  go  hand  in  hand.  Taking  the 
average  for  the  six  counties  in  South  Carolina  in  1910  in  which  there 
is  the  highest  percentage  of  share  tenancy  it  is  found  that  there  was 
15.1  per  cent,  white  illiteracy.  The  four  counties  in  which  share 
tenancy  does  not  prevail  to  any  great  extent,  have  a  i-elatively  low 
percentage  of  illiteracy.  The  percentage  of  white  illiteracy  in  these 
four  counties,  Beaufort,  Hampton,  Charleston  and  Clarendon,  is  5.5. 

Before  the  coming  of  the  boll  weevil  a  man  could  raise  cotton 
when  he  could  not  raise  anything  else.  So  long  as  we  pay  so  much 
attention  to  money  crops,  there  is  likely  to  be  a  deficiency  in 
food  and  feed  crops.  Since  the  boll  weevil  is  here  it  is  necessary 
for  everybody  to  live  at  home  as  far  as  possible. 

We  have  been  paying  entirely  too  little  attention  to  food  and 
feed  production  and  too  much  to  cotton  and  tobacco.  A  few 
figures  serve  to  emphasize  the  situation.  In  1920  in  Dillon  County 
we  needed  $4,076,855  worth  of  food  and  feed  supplies  and  we  only 
produced   $2,400,513  worth. 

The  tenant  should  try  to  produce  all  the  necessities  possible.  In 
this  way  he  would  be  able  to  save  more  of  the  money  he  obtains 
from  his  money  crop.  To  own  a  farm  should  be  the  ambition 
of  every  tenant  farmer.  The  old  saying  "A  rolling  stone  gathers 
no  moss,"  describes  rather  well  the  tenant  farmer  who  is  al- 
ways moving  from  place  to  place. 

Another  reason  why  the  farmer  fails  to  produce  surplus  food  crops 
is  the  lack  of  a  ready  cash  market.  This  problem  is  discussed  under 
a  separate  heading. 

The  Boll  Weevil  Would  Starve  on  Corn. 

In  spite  of  the  efforts  of  scientists  employed  by  the  Southern 
States  and  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  and 
climatic  conditions   the  cotton   boll   weevil   has  annually   increased 


Dirxox  County:  Economic  and  Social  G3 

its  field  of  opeiMtion.  At  tlie  close  of  1921  the  cotton  boll  weevil 
had  covered  the  whole  of  South  Carolina.  The  problem  that  we 
have  heard  discussed  for  several  years  confronts  us  now,  and  we 
are  facing  a  condition  calling?  for  the  actual  application  of  those 
agricultural  practices  which  have  l)een  best  wherever  the  weevil 
has  establlslied  itself. 

We  should  have  been  prepared  for  the  coming  of  the  boll  weevil, 
for  in  1892,  it  first  entered  the  United  States  near  Brownsville,  Texas 
and  has  gradually  made  its  way  to  Dillon  County,  arriving  there  in 
the  fall  of  1921. 

Since  the  boll  weevil  is  a  reality  with  us  we  have  to  combat 
it  as  etfectively   as  possible. 

AVhat  is  known  as  diversified  farming  seems  to  be  the  best  general 
remedial  measure.  Some  of  the  advantages  of  this  method  of  farm- 
ing  are : 

1.  Nearly  all  kinds  of  farming  require  rotation  if  yields  are 
maintained.  No  crop  should  be  planted  two  years  in  succession  in 
the  same  place  with  the  exception  of  a  few  crops  like  alfalfa 
and  orchards. 

2.  Diversified  farming  lessens  the  risk  of  total  failure.  The 
yield  of  a  given  crop  is  considerably  influenced  by  weather  conditions 
and  pests.  When  we  plant  several  crops  a  failure  is  not  likely  in 
more  than  one  of  them  in  the  same  year.  A  failure  when  a  farmer  has 
only  one  money  crop  is  a  serious  matter,  as  he  will  have  to  carry 
all  these  expenses  for  another  year. 

0.  Diversified  farming  distributes  the  income  throughout  the 
year.  If  the  year's  income  is  all  received  at  one  time  it  is 
difficult  to  make  this  money  last  throughout  the  year,  even  when 
the  same  amount  received  at  dilfereut  intervals  might  provide 
very  well.  Diversifietl  farming  distributes  the  income  througliout 
the   year. 

4.  Diversified  farming  may  distribute  the  labor  throughout  the 
year.  The  most  important  problem  is  keeping  men,  horses  and 
machinery  employed  throughout  the  year.  Some  types  of  special- 
ized farming  are  satisfactory  in  this  respect  but  they  are  few  and 
far  between. 

The  Local  Market  Problem. 

Weld,  in  his  book  entitled  Marketing  Agricultural  Products,  says 
there  are  five  ways  in  which  a  farmer  may  market  his  produce. 

1.  By  by  direct  sale  to  consumer.  ( a )  By  going  direct  to  residence, 
(b  Through  public  or  municipal  markets,  (c)  By  parcel  post  or 
express,  (d)     To  local  maiuifacturers. 


64  Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social 

2.  By    selling   to   local   stores. 

3.  By  shipping  direct  to  dealers  in  large  cities. 

4.  By  selling  to  local  buyers. 

5.  By   shipping  through   co-operative  associations. 

One  of  the  best  ways  of  marketing  farm  prrtducts  is  through 
municipal  markets.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  volume  of  food 
and  feed  supplies  utilized  in  the  town  of  Dillon  would  warrant  the 
establishment  of  a  municipal  market.  The  surplus  food  and  feed 
can  perhaps  be  best  accommodated  by  co-operation  with  the  county 
farm  demonstration  agent  in  the  establishment  of  local  co-operative 
associations  based  on  a  single  commodity  as  a  unit  of  a  larger 
organization  of  the  same  type;  in  the  building  of  co-operative 
sweet  potato  storage  houses  and  the  co-operative  shipment  of 
livestock   in   car   load  lots. 

This  is  usually  accomplished  through  the  efforts  of  the  county 
farm  demonstration  agent.  He  sends  out  word  through  the  county, 
when  a  shipment  of  livestock  is  to  be  made,  and  farmers  who 
have  a  surplus  bring  it  to  the  designated  place.  There  is  a  grader 
there  who  grades  the  livestock.  Each  man  is  paid  a  certain  amount 
according  to  the  grade  of  his  shipment.  The  payment  is  made 
through  the  local  bank. 

This  problem  of  providing  a  ready  cash  market  any  day  in  the 
year  for  products  other  than  cotton  is  one  of  the  outstanding 
problems  of  the  county,  and  can  be  solved  only  through  the  in- 
telligent sympathetic  cooperation  of  the  business  man,  housewife 
and  the  farmer. 

Co-operative  Marketing. 

Co-operation  is  the  only  hope  of  the  rural  people  of  today.  If 
co-operation  is  to  be  a  success  the  members  of  the  association 
must  be  loyal  to  their  organization,  in  the  face  of  fierce  competition. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  it  requires  time  and  patience  to 
build  up  such  marketing  machinery.  Most  farmers  have  exaggerated 
ideas  of  the  possible  savings  from  co-operation,  and  are  disappointed 
with  the  results  at  the  beginning. 

Co-operation  among  the  California  fruit  growers  has  been  the 
means  of  saving  the  farmers  of  that  section  sums  beyond  estimation. 
What  co-operative  marketing  has  done  for  the  people  of  California 
it  can  do  for  the  people  of  South  Carolina.  A  plan  for  the  co-opera- 
tive marketing  of  cotton  has  been  worked  out  and  now  that  the 
signing  of  contracts  for  400,000  bales  in  South  Carolina  has  been 
coinpleted  will  become  operative  for  next  year's  crop. 

The  Association  will  do  the  following  things :  It  will  grade, 
class,   staple   and   weigh   every   bale ;    it  will   warehouse   and   store 


Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social  65 

cotton  wherever  and  whenever  necessary;  it  will  soil  all  of  its  cotton 
in  even  running  lots,  each  grade,  class  and  staple  within  its  own 
pool ;  it  will  sell  on  its  own  sample  and  warehouse  receipt ;  it 
will  sell  collectively  and  only  when  the  market  demands  it.  It 
will  sell  its  cotton  as  directly  as  possible ;  it  will  determine  the 
cost  of  production  of  cotton ;  it  will  encourage  and  develop  the 
co-operative  prodnction  of  uniform  and  standard  varieties  by  com- 
munities. 

A  similar  plan  has  been  worked  out  for  the  cooperative  marketing 
of  tobacco.  The  plan  was  to  go  into  effect  in  1921  but  the  required 
amount  was  not  signed  up.  The  plan  will  go  into  effect  with  the 
crop  of  1922.  One  half  the  aggregate  tonnage  of  tobacco  in 
North  Carolina.  South  Carolina  and  Virginia  is  signed  up. 

Co-operative  Associations  will  operate  to  advantage  in  the  sale  of 
food  and  feed  crops  as  well  as  with  cotton  and  tobacco.  A  clear 
demonstration  of  this  fact  is  provided  in  the  South  Carolina 
Sweet  Potato  Growers'  Association. 

"Sugar  Spuds." 

Eighty  per  cent  of  the  sweet  potato  crop  of  the  United  States 
is  produced  below  the  Mason  and  Dixon  Line.  On  eastern  and 
western  markets  80  per  cent  of  the  potatoes  to  be  found  are 
grown  north  of  the  same  line.  This  means  that  the  Southern  farmer 
is  neglecting  a  splendid  opportunity  to  develop  a  crop  for  which 
advertising  would  create  a  universal  demand. 

The  most  difficult  and  important  problem  in  this  connection 
is  that  of  properly  keeping  the  potato  and  none  is  so  badly  neg- 
lected. The  essentials  of  good  storage  are:  (1)  that  the  potatoes 
be  matured  before  digging;  (2)  carefully  handled;  (3)  well 
dried  or  cure<l  before  they  are  put  in  the  storage  house;  and 
(4)  kept  at  a  uniform  temperature  after  they  are  cured.  The 
potato  storage  house  designed  by  Clemson  College  is  well  adapted 
to  meet  the  best  storage  requirements,  and  is  being  widely  built 
throughout    the    state. 

The  secret  of  success  in  getting  high  prices  for  potatoes  is  to 
carefully  grade,  clean  and  pack,  and  then  put  them  in  a  storage 
house,  in  order  that  they  may  be  put  on  the  market  when  there 
is  a  demand  for  them.  The  greatest  demand  for  sweet  potatoes 
is  as  a  rule  from  the  middle  of  December  until  the  middle  of 
March.  Unless  they  are  properly  stored  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  keep  them.  Potatoes  keep  better  stored  in  crates.  This  prevents 
them  from  being  so  badly  bruised. 

A  few  of  the  citizens  of  Dillon  County  have  realized  the  im- 
portance of  the  potato  crop  and  the  necessity  of  a  storage  house. 


66  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

The  result  was  the  establishment  of  the  Dillon  Sweet  Potato  Storage 
Company.  The  directors  of  the  company  are  J.  P.  McLaurin,  R.  M. 
Oliver,  J.  H.  David,  J.  D.  Manning,  and  Wade  Stackhouse.  The 
ICompany  is  chartered  with  a  capital  stock  of  $G,0(X).  The  capacity 
is  15,000  bushels.  Several  hundred  crates  of  sweet  potatoes  have 
been  sold  through  this  company  and  it  is  only  beginning  its  period 
of  service. 

What  The  Banks  Can  Do. 

If  the  banks  would  refuse  to  lend  money  to  farmers  unless 
they  plant  a  certain  per  cent  of  food  and  feed  crops  we  believe 
we  would  have  a  better  system  of  farming  in  South  Carolina.  There 
is  a  continuous  contact  between  the  purchaser  and  creditor,  and 
this  puts  the  banks  in  a  position  to  have  a  tremenduous  influence 
as  to  the  kind  of  business  that  is  to  be  carried  on.  Money  controls 
all  industry,  therefore  a  wise  distribution  of  money  means  a  well 
organized   business. 

The  banks  of  Texas  are  refusing  to  lend  money  to  farmers  unless 
they  agree  to  plant  a  certain  number  of  acres  in  food  and  feed  crops. 
They  say  it  is  better  to  help  by  keeping  as  much  of  the  money  in 
the  state  as  possible  rather  than  allow  millions  of  dollars  to 
leave  the  state  annually  for  the  things  that  could  be  grown  at 
home.  Large  amounts  of  money  would  be  retained  in  the  county 
with  an  increase  of  the  per  capita  wealth.  These  conditions 
would  greatly  improve  the  situation  for  the  farmer  and  banker. 

A  few  years  of  such  practice  in  South  Carolina  would  make  the 
agriculture  of  the  State  a  self-sufBcing  one.  The  fai-mer  would 
become  independent ;  the  merchant  would  be  able  to  carry  on 
a  cash  business ;  and  the  banks  would  be  able  to  turn  their  energy 
towards  developing  the  county  instead  of  feeding  it. 

Standardizing  The  Product. 

The  United  States  Shipping  Board  has  called  our  attention  to 
the  fact  that  when  nails  are  sold  in  South  America  the  natives 
want  them  in  ten  pound  paper  bags  so  they  can  carry  them  easily  on 
horseback  across  the  country  to  their  ranches.  United  States  nail 
manufacturers  have  ignored  this  fact,  shipping  nails  in  kegs,  and  for 
this  reason  they  are  not  developing  a  market  for  nails  in  South 
America  to  the  extent  that  other  nations  are. 

The  same  thing  applies  to  the  Dillon  County  farmer.  When  he 
has  corn  to  sell  he  expects  to  sell  it  on  the  cob,  knowing  all 
the  while  that  there  is  a  much  greater  demand  for  the  commodity 
if  properly  shelled  and  sacked. 


Dillon. GouNTi'i/EcnNOMic  and  ^Social  67 

i;t  Likewise  the  farmer  .^^'^lo  Uiis  ■a,  i^Mnplnf^  o,f,  pot fi toes  li)f?tead„pf 
j2;ra(lin«  thein  and  projjerly  preparing  them  , for.  Uw  marlvot,  he 
takes  all  sizes  aiul  grades. ^iiixQd  together  and  tries  to  find  a  market 
for  them.  Even  if  he  finds  a  ;  market  he  .will  not  i-oceive  nearly 
»S;muc'h  as  he  would|4f>  they  were  propeifly,. graded.  .  l^erluips  .the 
consumer  has -to  l^py  ,a,  ,husjhel -in  lorde^,  tp^Bit  a  peck  of  the 
desired  grade.-  If  the.  projlucer  .liad  iproperly  graded  them  he 
coidd  have  ivsed  the  sorry  ones  to,. feed  l>is^,  stQpk  on;, and  perhaps 
received  just  as  mpch  f  for.,  t^e,.;best  one^,  ,jis  •  he,  did  for  his 
entire  crop.       .  .,;>,.,,,.         i,,.      .    ,i  -       ,.,■.,      ,.       .  ,.   j 

(;;  ■The  farmer  who  has  hay  to  sell  expects  a  market  for  it  in 
stacks  or  in  loose  loads.  ,;He  i^iight,,l)e  abl^- to  find  a  market  for 
it  in  this  conditio^,  but  if ,  he  dops,,  he  will  not.  rec.ei|Ve  nearly  as 
much  as  he  woqld  if  It  .werp  pr,o^e^ly.balgd,anfl  prepared  for  the 
market.  ■      ;       .  ,    ,        .        .  ,,    ;«>'  ;_■   •■.,■,... 

Facts  About  Food  and  Feed  Prbductio'nShbilloh  County. 

n^The   Dillon   Couoity'  ra»kat  .the  Jeft,,  margin  t shows, „Ji0W;  maijiy 

counties  do  better.  •. 

4th — in  corn  iproduction  pev  acne,  bushels,  1920  ;i., ....  21.7 

Average  for-  State,  -15.  busliels  ■  pei^  acre.;! 
Charleston  led  with  23.6  bushels  i>er  acre.. 

J2-tih — in  the  per  capltsi  piroduction  .of  corn,  bushels  peri     ,:  ,,         •  ; 

acre,    1020    ..  .j.  ..,..„.,.,..*.!•...,,.',.. ..., 21.7 

Tlie  per  capita  annual/ consumption  figni'ff 
ill  the  'Unitied  iStabesr  iuclnsiveiOf  livestock 
needs,  is  31  bushels;  deficit  per  pensoh  in 
Dillon  County,  9.3  bushels ;  total  deficit  for 

V.  ■[  county  23.5,085  busiliels;.  state:  aVera«eMiiro- 1  ,  .i     r 

duction   in   1920,.  10.3   bushels   per  person. 

22nd— in  total  corn  production  in.  buHhels,' 1920  .....j.,;.  548,538 

(Draugeburg  C(Huity  leibwith  li460,318  bush- 
els; Georgetown 'County  itankied  lastv  witlji 
289,157  vbushclSi  :  DiHon's:  corn  iproductioni 
foil  1.0  yearsi  1010-1920,  increflsetl!  84.3  per 
cent.  or((!.^.083  bushels.  -The  state:  increase 

!:.()f  was  31  per  cent;  40  counties  showed  an  in-      •    -       !  "'• 

crease  in  production-;  3  showed  a  decrease. 

30lh — in  wheat  production  per^porson,  in  l)U«hels.  1920)  0.1 

Needed  4  busliels  ^per  person;  deficit)  per 
person,  3.9  bushels;   total  deficit   for  Dil- 

y.i;  Ion  Coun'tij', -08,584;  bushels.     In  1910  Dillon  ;  <j 

County  raised  50  bushels  and  ln:]920,  4,630« 
bushels  of  wheat. 


68  Dillon  County  :  P^conomic  and  Social 

1st — in  whent  production,  bushels  per  acre,  1920   ....  1.3 

State  average,  7.5  bushels  per  acre;  Wil- 
liamsburg County  came  second  with  a  yield 
of  12.5  bushels  per  acre. 

7th— in  oat  production,  bushels  per  acre,  1920 22.5 

Total  crop  was  14.3,117  bushels,  or  25.7 
bushels  per  work  animal  per  year,  or  2.2 
quarts  per  day  for  each  work  animal.  From 
1910-1920  production  decreased  IS  per  cent. 

42nd — in  total  crop  of  hay  and  forage  produced,  tons, 

1920    2,880 

From  1910-1920  our  hay  crop  increased  48 
per  cent.  For  each  work  animal  3  pounds 
of  hay  was  produced ;  ten  pounds  were 
needed ;  2,880  tons  were  produced ;  10,218 
were  needed.  The  deficiency  was  7,338 
tons. 

34th — in  beef  production  per  person,  pounds,  1920  ....  8.6 

State  average,  17.8  pounds  per  person ; 
needed  150  pounds  of  meat  production. 
Beaufort  led  with  129.8  pounds ;  Greenville 
came  last  with  .'J. 6  pounds. 

12th — in  pork  production  per  capita,  pounds,  1920   ....  98.8 

Average  for  the  state  G7  pounds  per  person. 
Horry  ranks  first  with  183.3  pounds  per 
person.  From  1910-1920  the  number  of 
hogs  in  DilldU  County  increased  75  per 
cent. 

13th — in  poultry  production  per  person,  fowls,  1920  ....  10.3 

Needed  12  fowls  per  person  per  year;  de- 
licit  1.7  fowls  per  person  per  year ; 
total  deticit  42,973  fowls.  Saluda  ranked 
first  with  a  production  of  15.4  fowls  per 
person,  and  Charleston  came  last  with  2.0. 
The  number  of  fowls  in  Dillon  County  in- 
creased 48.3  per  cent  from  1910-192(t. 

27th — in  egg  delicit  per  person,  dozen,  1920   10.3 

Needed  17.5  dozen  per  person;  shortage  7.2 
dozen  per  person  ;  total  shortage  per  county 
182,002  dozen;  total  production  181,490 
dozen. 

23rd — in  butter  produced  per  person,  pounds.  1920  ....  3.8 

Cherokee  ranks  first  wi(h  23. G  pounds  per 
person.     State  average  was  8.2  pounds 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  69 

25th — in  value  of  livestock  produced  per  persou,  1920  .  .  $9.24 

Edgefield    ranked    first    with    $22.()6    per 
person:  Charleston  was  last  with  $1.71. 

Dillon   County  Balance  Sheet  in  Food  and  Feed  Production. 

1.  Food  and  feed  needed. 

25,278  people    @    161.28    $4,076,^35.84 

5.599  work  animals  @  $75.75     $424.11.3.24 

2.980  dairy  cattle  @  $35.67    . .     106,296.60 

711  other  cattle  @  $15.55    ..       10,771.65 

186  sheep    @    $3.44    639.84 

17,336  swine   @   012.86 222,840.96         764,662.29 

Total  food  and  feed  needed   $4,841,498.13 

2.  Total  food  and  feed  produced : 

Food  and  feed  crops    $1,864,011.00 

Dairy  products    $51,702.00 

Poultry   products    76,704.00 

Honey  and  wax    1,161.00 

Total  value  of  beef  cattle  and 

swine   406,935.00        536,502.00 

Total  food  and  feed  produced .$2,400,513.00 

Shortage  in  in  home  raised  food  and  feed  2,440,985.13 

Cotton  and  other  uou-food  crop  values  11,685,104.00 

Distribution  of  Food  and  Feed  Shortage : 

(1)  Meat    needed    for   25,278   people    @    152    lbs.    per 

persou     3,842,256 

Meat  produced — 375  calves  @  150  lbs 56,250 

326  cattle  @  350  lbs 114,100 

74.723.  poultry  @  3%  lbs 261,530 

14.707  swine  @   160   lbs 2,-353,120 

Total  meat  produced    2.785,000 

Shortage    1,057,256 

(2)  Butter   needed    for   25,278  people   @   48  lbs.    per 

person    1,213,344 

Produced 96,272 

Deficit   1,117,072 


70  Dillon  Codnty:  Economic  and  Social 

(3)  Fowls  needed  for  25,278  people  @  12  fowls  per 

person     303,336 

Produced  74,723 

Deficit     228,613 

(4)  Eggs  needed  for  25,278  people  @  17  1-2  doz.  per 

person     442,365 

Produced     181,490 

Deficit  260,875 

(5)  Corn  needed  for  25,278  people  at  @  31  bu.  per  person    783,618 
Produced  548,538 

Deficit  235,080 

(6)  Wheat  needed  for  25,278  people   @  4  bu.  per  person    101,112 
Produced     4,630 

Deficit     96,482 

(7)  Hay    needed   for  5,599   work    animals   @   10  lbs.    per 

day.    Ions    10,213 

Produced    2,880 

Deficit  7,333 

Dillon  County  Livestock:     1920  Census. 

I.  Animal  Units  on  Hand  1919 :  Animal  Units 

5,505  mature  work  animals    5,505 

20  spring  colts  (1-4)    5 

86  yearling  colts  (1-2)   18 

1,739  dairy  cows  1,739 

1,952  other  cattle    (1-2)    976 

8,402  mature  hogs    (1-5)    ' 1,680 

8,934    spring   pigs    (1-10)     893 

149  mature  sheep   ( 1-7 )    21 

37  lambs  (1-14)    3 

74,723    poultry     (1-100)     747 

Total  animal  units  12,587 

II.  Animal   Units   Needed— 301,440  A  divided  by   5    60,288 

Per  cent  of  animals  in  a  lightly  stocked  farm  area 28 

Per  cent  below  the  level  72 

Note  — A  lightly  stocked  farm  area  means  one  animal  unit  for  every 
5  acres  of  farm  lands — A  unit  is  a  horse,  a  cow,  2  colts,  5 
hogs,  7  sheep,  or  100  hens. 


IX. 

EVIDENCES  OF  PROGRESS 


Edgab  T.  Thompson. 
Dewey  Stephens. 


Although  f)illon  County  is  oue  of  the  youngest  counties  of  the 
state,  she  has  taken  her  place  among  the  more  prosperous  and 
progressive.  However,  we  cannot  rest  on  past  achievements  if  we 
want  to  keep  this  position  among  our  sister  counties.  We  should 
always  remember  that  there  is  room  at  the  top.  Dillon  County  is 
wonderfully  blessed  in  soil,  climate,  and  people,  but  in  the  words 
of  Henry  Van  Dyke  we  should  be  "content  with  our  possessions, 
but  not  satisfied  with  ourselves  until  we  have  made  the  best  of 
them."  Dillon's  place  in  the  state  should  be  where  she  already 
is  in  the  heart  of  every  true  son  of  Dillon  County — first  on  the 
list. 

Educational  Advances. 

Dillon  County  has  oue  of  the  best  school  systems  in  South  Carolina. 
This  can  be  proved  by  comparing  the  index  figures  of  Dillon 
County  with  those  of  the  state,  and  of  other  counties.  With  the 
exception  of  average  attendance  our  school  situation  is  one  to  be 
proud  of,  but   it  is  not  ideal. 

We  had  in  1921  a  smaller  percentage  of  one-teacher  schools  than 
any  other  county  in  South  Carolina.  Out  of  a  total  of  twenty- 
five  white  schools  iu  the  county  only  one  of  these  is  a  one-teacher 
school.  Darlington  ranks  second  in  this  respect  and  Florence  third. 
This  is  a  significant  fact  and  one  in  which  we  are  to  be  com- 
mended, for  the  day  of  the  one-teacher  school  seems  to  have  passed 
in  Dillon.  This  situation  looks  even  better  for  Dillon  when  we 
learn  that  40  per  cent  of  the  schools  of  the  state  are  one-teacher 
schools. 

Everywhere  over  the  county  are  springing  up  handsome  brick 
school  structures.  No  better  type  of  monument  can  be  erected  in 
any  county,  and  the  passerby  notes  as  he  views  each  of  these  perma- 
nent buildings  that  there  resides  a  people  who  are  putting  "first 
things   first." 


72  Dii.LON  County  :  Economic  and  Social  , 

Our  Towns. 

Our  towns  are  our  most  conspicuous  evidences  of  progress  as 
shown  by  tlieir  remarkable  increases  in  population  during  their 
comparatively  short  period  of  existence.  Dillon,  the  county  seat, 
is  a  beautiful  little  growing  town  of  about  2,200  inhabitants.  Here 
an  enormous  amount  of  business  is  carried  on  for  a  town  of  this 
size.  Its  place  in  history  is  as  pronounced  as  that  of  Dillon 
County  and  it  is  the  coming  town  of  the  Pee  Dee.  Both  Latta  and 
Lake  View  are  also  young  towns  and  their  prosperous  past  points 
to  a  still  more  prosperous  future.  The  whole  of  Dillpn  County  is 
giving  promise  of  being  the  best  rural  community  in  the  country 
to  live  in.  She  is  waking  up  to  her  vast  possibilities,  and  she  is 
solving  a  great  big,  all-inclusive  problem — that  of  community  co-op- 
eration. 

Wealth. 

Dillon  County  can  justly  pride  herself  upon  her  amount  of  farm 
wealth.  In  1920  it  amounted  to  $22,055,052  which  is  more  than  that 
of  31  other  counties  in  the  State.  During  the  period  1910-1920 
only  6  counties  made  a  greater  increase  in  per  capita  farm  wealth. 
During  the  same  period  the  increase  in  total  taxable  property 
was  76.65  per  cent  while  the  average  for  the  State  as  a  whole  was 
60.22  per  cent.  This  great  increase  in  taxable  property  gives  an 
insight  into  the  actual  wealth  of  Dillon  and  the  willingness  of  the 
people  to   bear   public  burdens   for  public  progress  and  prosperity. 

Dillon  County  citizens  are  better  served  by  banks  than  those 
of  36  other  counties  in  the  state  for  we  have  one  bank  for  every 
3,000  people.  This  may  partially  account  for  the  fact  that  we 
oversubscribed  our  Liberty  Loan  quotas  by  5.2  per  cent,  showing 
that  our  people  are  not  lacking  in  patriotism  if  that  can  be  measured 
in  dollars   and   cents. 

It  may  or  may  not  be  an  evidence  of  progress  that  only  4  per 
cent  of  our  farms  have  a  mortgage  debt  upon  them.  As  stated 
in  a  previous  chapter,  a  mortgage  is  not  necessarily  a  bad  thing. 
Conditions  sometimes  make  it  necessary  for  a  farmer  to  mortgage 
his  farm  and  often  it  is  a  sign  of  progress.  It  may  mean  capital 
borrowed  for  productive  purposes,  purchase  of  land,  better  build- 
ings and  equipment,  and  even  at  times  for  the  education  of  his 
child i"en.  But  too  often  farms  have  been  mortgaged  so  that  the 
owner  can  indulge  in  the  luxuries  of  life.  In  the  last  few  years 
many  farmers  in  the  State  have  mortgaged  their  farms  in  order 
to  purchase  automobiles  and  expensive  luxurie.s.  Taken  from  this 
latter  angle  our  small  percentage  of  mortgaged  farms,  exceeded  by 


Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social  73 

only  4  other  (<iniitii's  in  the  State,  shows  a  safe  and  sane  attitude 
among  the  farmers  of  Dillon  Comity.  It  is  better  to  be  safe  than 
be  sorry. 

Agriculture. 

Our  county  is  a  farmer's  comity  and  the  farms  of  any  community 
form  the  backbone  of  that  community — a  fact  that  is  not  less  true 
of  Dillon  than  it  is  of  the  State  as  a  whole  and  the  nation  at 
large.  Upon  their  labor,  their  prosperity,  good  cheer  and  high 
courage  depend  to  a  large  extent  the  prosperity  and  wealth  of  the 
county. 

Dillon  County  with  her  variety  of  soils  and  advantageous  seasons 
has  an  excellent  record  in  the  total  and  per  capita  yield  of  crop 
wealth.  In  this  last  particular  Dillon  outranketl  in  1920  every 
county  in  the  State  save  one  with  a  per  capita  value  of  $219.95. 
Thus  is  Dillon's  boast  of  a  superior  agriculture  backed  up  by  the 
figures   themselves. 

Dillon  as  the  fifth  tobacco  px'oducing  county  in  the  State  is  aligning 
herself  with  the  co-operative  movement  for  its  marketing.  The  same 
is  true  of  cotton,  in  which  crop  only  17  counties  in  the  State  produced 
a  larger  yield  in  1920.  This  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Dillon 
County  is  one  of  the  smallest  counties  in  the  State. 

Between  1910-1920,  Dillon  County  increased  her  corn  production 
by  389,083  bushels,  or  84.3  per  cent.  Only  three  other  counties 
outranked  lis  in  this  respect.  During  the  same  period  our  increase 
of  109  per  cent  in  number  of  cattle  was  greater  than  that  of  any 
other  county.  In  1920  Dillon  County  led  the  State  in  the  yield 
per  acre  of  sweet  potatoes.  The  census  of  the  same  year  gives 
Dillon  24,257  acres  of  idle  land.  Forty  counties  had  more.  But 
these  idle  acres  at  a  conservative  estimate  are  worth  a  half  million 
dollars;  and  they  represent  just  that  much  dead  capital.  Neither 
the  owners  of  this  land,  the  agriculture  of  the  county,  nor  our  busi- 
ness men  can  afford  a  dead  investment  of  this  sort. 

Dillon  County  Fair. 

Some  of  Dillon's  loyal  citizens,  realizing  the  need  and  benefits 
to  be  derived  from  a  county  fair,  formed  in  1920  the  Dillon  County 
Fair  As.sociatiou.  with  a  capital  stock  of  $15,000  dollars,  divided 
into  fifteen  hundred  shares  with  a  par  value  of  $10.00  each. 

The  business  of  the  association  is  conducteti  by  nineteen  directors 
who  are  members  of  the  association,  elected  from  the  different 
townships  of  the  county.  The  officers  of  the  association  are : 
President,  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  Secretary  of  Races,  Executive 
Committee,  Board  of  Directors  and  Bureau  of  Information. 


74  Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social 

County  fairs  act  as  reflectors  or  indexes  of  tlie  sentiment  of  tlieir 
communities.  The  types  of  exliibits  displayed  and  ttie  cliaracter 
of  tlie  fairs  promoted  advertise,  either  advantageously  or  disad- 
vantageously,  the  interest  people  have  in  meeting  the  exigencies 
of  the  situation.  Fairs,  therefore,  are  not  only  popular  institutions 
but  are  worth  while  institutions  and  should  be  maintained  and 
improved. 

An  authority  on  fairs  in  another  state  says  that  the  county  fair 
should  be  representative  of  the  county  and  should  as  far  as  possible 
give  a  fair  idea  of  the  resources  and  possibilities  of  its  farming,  mill- 
ing, educational,  and  Itusiness  advantages.  The  county  fair  is  gener- 
ally backed  by  the  business  men  of  the  county  seat  where  the  fair  is 
held.  They  think  by  drawing  a  crowd  to  town  their  volume  of  trade 
will  be  increased.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  country  people  do  not 
buy  much  on  fair  days.  They  save  their  nickels  for  the  many 
attractions  of  the  fair.  The  business  men  soon  find  that  their  plan 
is  not  working,  and  they  frequently  give  up  the  fair  as  a  hopeless 
venture.  For  this  simple  reason  most  of  the  county  fairs  have 
failed.  A  few  county  fairs  in  the  United  States  have  lived  for  sixty 
years  or  more.  The  fairs  that  have  lived  so  long  have  never  had 
horse  races,  ferris  wheels  and  the  like.  The  value  of  a  county 
fair  consists  in  its  being  able  to  show  the  products  of  the  homes, 
farms,  mills,  and  factories  of  the  county.  The  purpose  of  the  county 
fair  is  destroyetl  when  the  farm  and  factory  exhibits  are  given 
a  place  of  minor  importance,  and  various  spectacular  attractions 
preoccupy  the  attention  of  the  crowd.  Here  again  the  premium 
list  must  be  complete  and  prizes  offered  for  strictly  home  products. 

The  people  of  Dillon  usually  put  across  what  they  undertake  and 
we  believe  the  Dillon  County  Fair  will  stand  the  test  of  time. 

County  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs. 

The  Dillon  County  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  was  organized 
in  November,  1915,  at  the  court  house  in  Dillon.  The  purpose  of 
this  oi-ganizatlon  was  to  unite  the  clubwomen  for  greater  service 
to  the  homes,  schools  and  communities  throughout  the  county. 
From  the  small  begining  of  sixteen  delegates  representing  as  many 
clubs  it  has  grown  to  a  membership  of  more  than  forty  clubs  with 
an  attendance  of  about  five  hundred. 

This  was  the  first  county  federation  in  the  State  to  include  all  the 
women's  clubs,  both  federated  and  unfederated.  A  number  like  it 
have  since  been  formed  in  other  counties. 

Among  the  good  results  accomplished  may  be  mentioned  closer 
co-operation   between    town    and    I'ural    women;    infonn;itl;in    inul    in- 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  75 

spirutioii  gaiiit'd  from  noted  speakers  on  vital  subjects;  reports  from 
various  clubs  have  been  an  incentive  to  j^reater  efforts;  it  has  been 
instrumental  in  retaining  the  county  Home  Demonstration  Agent;  it 
launche<l  the  movement  for  the  public  health  nurse,  and  has  given 
hearty  support  to  all  undertakings  of  this  kind  for  the  good  of 
the  county. 

It  is  a  member  of  the  State  Federation  and  has  contributed 
$l(l(t  annually  to  the  Loan  Fund  for  the  education  of  v^'orthy  girls 
who  are  not  financially  able  to  get  a  college  education. 

Public  Health  Work. 

Some  of  Dillon's  progressive  citizens,  realizing  the  need  and  im- 
I)ortance  of  a  county  health  unit,  took  a  step  towards  establishing 
this  unit  in  1921,  when  they  employed  Miss  Cora  B.  McLeod  as 
county  health  nurse.  It  is  impossible  for  her  to  do  all  of  the  work 
there  is  to  be  done,  but  she  is  doing  a  great  work,  and  we  hope 
the  people  who  began  this  work  will  not  give  up  until  they  have 
a  complete  health  unit,  as  exists  in  some  of  the  other  less  pros- 
perous counties  in  South  Carolina.  Our  health  is  our  most  precious 
heritage  and  anything  we  can  do  that  will  protect  this  heritage 
is  inestimable  in  value. 

Miss  McLeod  spent  her  first  four  months  working  among  the  schools 
of  the  county.  The  teachers  showed  great  interest  and  were  will- 
ing and  anxious  to  help  her  in  any  way  possible. 

During  the  first  year  twenty-three  schools  were  inspected  and 
1G31  children  were  examined  for  defects  in  eyes,  ears,  nose,  throat 
and  teeth.  Each  child  was  also  weighed  and  measured  and  com- 
parison made  with  the  standards.  If  any  defects  were  found  the 
child's  parents  were  notified  and  urgetl  to  see  their  family  physician 
at  once. 

Here  are  some  of  the  results  of  these  examinations:  105  had 
dental  corrections  made,  15  received  medical  treatment,  22  received 
throat  treatment,  22  had  eye  corrections  made,  and  2  entire  schools 
were  vaccinated. 

Statistics  tell  us  that  bad  teeth  may  keep  a  child  back  six  months 
in  his  school  work,  and  that  diseased  tonsils  may  keep  him  back 
for  a  year  or  more,  therefore,  we  can  very  easily  see  why  it  is 
necessary  for  these  corrections  to  be  made,  even  if  they  did  not  harm 
the  child  in  any  other  way. 

Her  field  work  consisted  of  954  visits,  including  nursing,  instruc- 
tional school,  social  service,  sanitation  inspections  and  conference 
visits.  Special  attention  is  given  to  tuberculars,  child  hygiene  and 
pre-natal    work. 


76      ,        Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

This  work  is  financed  co-operatively  by  the  county  and  the  Red 
Cross.  Miss  McLeod  has  done  a  splendid  work  but  "the  fields  are 
white  unto  the  harvest  and  the  laborers  few."  We  should  not  be 
content  until  we  have  a  full  health  unit. 

At  present  there  is  only  one  county  in  the  State  that  has  fewer 
deaths  per  1,000  of  population  than  Dillon.  This  is  Colleton  with 
7.4.  The  rank  for  Dillon  is  8.3  per  1,000.  We  should  not  be  con- 
tent short  of  first  place  in  health  work  of  all  phases.  A  county 
health  unit  will  go  a  long  way  towards  gaining  this  rank. 

Home  Demonstration  Activities. 

Dillon  is  one  of  hundreds  of  counties  throughout  our  great  country 
having  Home  Demonstration  Work.  Home  Demonstration  Work 
is  the  realization  of  a  vision  of  Dr.  Seaman  A.  Knapp,  the  great 
agricultural  philosopher.  He  first  established  demonstration  work 
for  the  boys.  Having  successfully  started  this  work,  ideas  began 
to  take  more  definite  form  in  his  mind  for  work  of  a  similar  nature 
with  the  girls.  In  an  addre.ss  before  the  State  Teachers'  Association 
in  South  Carolina  in  1007,  Dr.  Knapp  said,  "If  much  can  be 
done  for  boys  to  interest  and  instruct  them  in  their  life  work, 
more  can  be  done  for  girls.  Teach  them  to  mend  and  sew  and 
cook ;  how  to  'doctor,'  how  to  dress  a  wound  or  make  a  ligature, 
how  to  adorn  the  simple  home  and  make  it  appear  like  a  palace ; 
how  by  simple  arrangement  the  environment  of  the  home  can  be 
transformed  into  a  place  of  beauty.  In  the  United  States  the  art  of 
cooking  is  mainly  a  lost  art.  There  are  communities  where  not  to 
be  a  dyspeptic  is  to  be  out  of  the  fashion.  If  we  could  have 
some  lessons  on  how  to  live  royally  on  a  little,  how  to  nourish 
the  body  without  poisoning  the  stomach,  and  how  to  balance  a  ration 
for  economic  and  healthful  results,  there  would  be  a  hopeful  gain 
in  lessening  the  number  of  bankrupts  by  the  kitchen  route." 

This  vision  began  its  reality  in  1010  when  the  first  "Tomato 
Club"  was  formed  in  Aiken  County,  South  Carolina.  From  this 
beginning  Home  Demonstration  work  has  grown  with  leaps  and 
bounds  until  now  its  scope  includes  work  in  gardening,  poultry 
keeping,  dairying,  sewing,  marketing,  canning,  food  preparation, 
household  management,  child  welfare,  nutrition,  home  furnishing 
and  beautifying  the  home  grounds. 

Home  Demonstration  Work  in  Dillon  County  during  the  past 
year  was  conducted  in  general  through  the  Girls'  Home  Demonstra- 
tion Clubs,  Girls'  and  Boys'  Poultry  Clubs  and  Home  Demonstration 
Clubs  for  the  women.  There  were  seven  girls'  clubs  and  seven 
women's  clubs.     The  girls'   clubs  (Mi)braced  canning  and   gardening, 


DiLLox  CoiTNTv :  KcoNoAric  ANi)  Social  77 

sewing,  cooking  and  ponlti'.v  cliilis.  Tlic  girls'  clubs  were  met  month- 
ly at  the  school  houses  hy  the  cnunty  Home  Demonstration  wnrkei", 
Miss  Etta  Sue  Sellers,  and  a  regular  outlined  course  of  sfudy  was 
followe<l.  Quite  a  numher  received  certificates  on  tiic  year's  wni-k 
which  meant  no  less  than  a  grade  of  75  per  cent.  The  cluli  cree<l 
shows  the  value  of  the  girls'  club  work — "We  believe  in  training  the 
lu^ad  to  think,  to  plan,  and  to  reason  ;  in  training  the  hands  to  be  help- 
ful, skillful  and  iiseful ;  in  training  the  heart  to  be  kind,  sympathetic 
and  true;  in  caring  for  the  health  to  give  us  power  to  enjoy  life  i<i 
resist  disease  and  U>  make  us  more  efficient."' 

Farm  Demonstration  Work. 

The  Agricultural  Extension  Servi<e  of  South  Carcjlina.  with  head- 
quarters at  Clemson  College,  was  organized,  and  is  now  conducted 
with  the  idea  fixed  in  the  minds  of  its  members  that  there  are 
certain  fundamental  vital  principles  in  the  economic  ])rndu(tion 
of  crops  and  the  marketing  and  distribution  of  the  same  that  nnist 
of  necessity  be  adhered  to  in  a  logical  and  systematic  way.  To 
this  end  the  Extension  Service  has  outlined  a  clear  and  comiirc- 
hensive  policy.  This  policy  indicates  a  clear  understanding  of  what 
is  to  be  done. 

1.  Soil  building  througli  the  use  of  legumes,  cover  crops,  livestock 
and  crop  rotation. 

2.  Skillful  selection  of  imrebred  seed. 

3.  Increasing  and  imprt)ving  our  livestock  by  the  use  of  i)urelu-ed 
sires. 

4.  The  growing  of  all  food  and  feed  crops  on  the  farm  for  man 
and  beast. 

r>.  After  the  above  has  been  carried  out.  the  economic  ])roduction 
for  the  market  of  such  crops  and  livestock  as  promise  greatest 
profit. 

6.  The  close  study  and  encouragement  of  co-oiierative  niai'kcting 
associations   for    the  scientific    marketing  of   agricultural    ciMips. 

The  farm  demonstration  work  in  Dillon  Count.v  is  pro.iectiHl  along 
these  lines  and  for  man.v  .years  now  has  been  a  most  effective 
agenc.v  in  stimulating  a  safe  and  sane  agricultural  develoiunent 
throughout   the   county. 

Transportation. 

For  a  small  rural  county.  Dillon  is  as  well  served  by  raili'oads 
as  any  county  in  the  South.  The  two  main  systems,  the  'Atlantic 
Coast  Line  and  the  Seaboard  Air  Line,  with  their  branches,  give 
every   town  and   almost  evei-y    li.-uulet  good   transportation    f.-icilities. 


78  ,  Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social 

The  people  of  Dillou  County  are  beginning  to  realize  the  eco- 
nomic and  social  necessity  of  good  roads  and  to  see  that  every  dollar 
invested  in  good  roads  is  a  dollar  well  invested.  The  excellent  road 
which  traverses  the  county  from  the  Marion  County  line  to  the 
Marlboro  County  line  taking  in  Latta,  Dillon  and  Little  Rock  is 
a  case  in  point.  No  one  can  ride  over  this  road  without  seeing 
in  it  an  evidence  of  Dillon  County's  progress. 

Where  We  Lead. 

There  are  only  forty-six  counties  in  South  Carolina,  and  we 
think  it  conservative  to  say  Dillon  County  leads  when  there  are 
not  over  fifteen  counties  that  make  a  better  showing.  The  figures 
are  for  1920  except  where  otherwise  indicated.  The  rank  of  Dillon 
is  as  follows : 

1st — in  per  cent  of  one-teacher  schools,  1!J21 .4 

1st — in  bushels  of  wheat  raised  per  acre    13 

2nd — in  per  capita   crop  values    .$219.t)G 

2nd — in  death  rate  per  1,000  of  population   (number) .  .  8.4 

3rd — in  bushels  of  oats,  per  capita  5.G 

4th — ^in    per    cent   of    mortgaged    farms 3.4 

4th — in    amount    spent    in    dollars    for    implements    and 

machinery  on  improved  land  per  acre $10.55 

4th — in  average  property  tax  rate,  mills 35.4 

4th — in  number  of  bushels  increa.se  in  corn  pr(Mluction 

from   1910-1920    389,083 

4tli — in  corn  production   in   bushels   per   acre    21.7 

4th — in  per  cent  increase  in  corn  production  1910-1920  84.3 

4th — in  tax  rate  per  ,$100  assessed  valuation,  rate  per  .$1<M»  .$3.53 

5th — in  average  salaries  paid  white  women  teachers. .  .  .  .$090.47 

5th — in  value  of   crops,   per   acre .$48.00 

(ith — in   cotton  production  in  pounds,   per  acre 299 

Gth — in  total  tobacco  i)ro(luctiou    (pounds)    5,850,000 

0th — in  value  of  non  food  crops    .$11,085,104 

7th — in  number  of  inhabitants  per  bank    3,135 

7th — in  production  of  oats  in  bushels  per  acre 22.5 

7th — in   tobacco   product iou   per    acre    (pounds)     G50 

7tli — in  ])er  capita  country  wealth    .$872.50 

stli — in  i)er  cent  increase  in  taxable  property,  1910-1920  70.05 
9th — in  per  capita  investment  in  school  property  accord- 
ing to  eni'ollment    .$.35.07 

9th — ^in  homicides   in   South  Carolina    (number)    1 

9th — in   number    of    inhabitants    per    automobile    15.1 

lltb — in    nu'al    jiopnlalion    jier   s(|n;ire    mile    53.7 


Dillon  County:  Economic  and  Social  70 

11th — in  per  capita  investment  in  sclioul  property   .i;i2.48 

12tli — in  bushels  of  corn,  per  capita   21.7 

12tli — in  annual  pork  production,  per  capita,  pounds 98.8 

18th — in  per  cent  of  farm   land  improved    ;jS.2 

l.">th — in   number   of  pounds   of  poultry,   i)er   person 10.3 

l.'tli — in  value  of  all  farm  i)roi)erty  $22,055,0^3 

15th — in  per  cent  of  wliite  population   4S.6 


X. 

OUR  PROBLEMS  AND  THEIR  SOLUTION 


Edgar  T.  Thompson. 


The  object  of  this  chapter  is  to  try  and  furnisli  the  power  "to 
see  ourselves  as  others  see  us.''  For  it  is  most  true  that  the  in- 
habitants of  a  community  or  county  are  oftentimes  blind  to  what 
is  plainly  evident  to  another  who  views  tlie  scene  from  afar.  A 
visitor  is  more  keenly  observant  of  the  things  in  wliich  the  com- 
munity fails  to  measure  up  than  he  is  of  what  tliat  community 
ranks  best  in.  The  many  reasons  that  we  have  to  be  proud  of  Dillon 
have  been  pointed  out  and  discussed  in  the  preceding  chapter. 
We  have  now  to  gather  up  and  present  the  vital  defects  in  the 
economic  and  social  life  of  the  county  and,  as  for  as  that  is 
possible,  to  suggest  remedies  for  them  and  to  point  the  way 
toward  a  better  and  greater  county. 

If  Dillon  County  ranked  first  in  everything  there  would  be  no 
need  for  this  survey,  the  purpose  of  which  is  to  show  our  faults  and 
imperfections  as  well  as  our  virtues.  In  many  respects  Dillon 
ranks  with  the  leading  counties  of  the  state  but  there  are  also 
many  things  in  which  we  are  among  those  at  the  bottom  of  the 
list.  All  our  iiroblems,  then,  are  not  solved ;  nor  can  they  be 
solved  without  the  cooperation  of  our  business  men  and  bankers, 
our  farmers,  our  teachers  and  religious  leaders.  It  will  require  the 
united  efforts  of  all  these  to  blot  out  our  delinquencies  and  to 
reach  high  levels  in  every  particular. 

A  County- Wide  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

Where  there  are  vital  problems  to  be  solved  it  is  most  important 
that  there  sliould  be  some  organization  whose  purpose  it  is  to  solve 
them.  Where,  there  are  excei)tional  features  to  be  advertised 
it  is  important  that  there  should  be  some  agency  to  adverti.se 
them.  Dillon  County  needs  a  county-wide  Cnamber  of  Commerce. 
We  have  no  organization  among  our  men  which  has  for  its 
purpose  the  development  and  betterment  of  the  county.  A 
most  admirable  work  in  regard  to  schools,  health  and  civic 
improvement  is  being  done  by  the  Dillon  County  Federation  of 
Women's    ("lubs,    but    this    does    not    lessen    the    need    for    a    men's 


Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social  81 

organization.  The  interest  of  our  towns  and  our  county  are  so 
intermingled  that  the  success  or  failure  of  one  must  affect  the 
other;  hence  we  shall  do  well  to  develop  a  county  unit  feeling.  A 
County  Chamber  of  Commerce  with  city  and  farmer  folk  both 
working  together  would  do  much  to  spread  the  doctrine  of  co- 
operative ownership  of  the  best  farm  machinery,  diversification, 
rotation,  permanent  pastures,  improved  livestock,  winter  cover  crops 
and  many  others.  By  co-operation  something  might  be  done  to  use 
and  build  up  our  24.257  idle  acres.  We  have  room  for  1,(317  neW 
farm  families  on  land  that  needs  to  become  productive.  Many 
other  que.stions  would  arise  to  challenge  the  united  thought  and 
effort  of  all. 

Farm  Tenancy. 

The  problem  of  farm  tenancy  has  been  discussed  at  length  in 
a  previous  chapter.  There  is  only  one  remedy — a  strict  enforce- 
ment of  the  compulsoi'y  school  attendance  law  and  a  good  public 
school  system.  As  a  stepping  stone  to  farm  ownership  tenancy 
cannot  be  looked  upon  as  an  evil  tendency,  but  when  a  tenant 
uses  rented  land  simply  to  earn  a  living  year  in  and  year  out,  en- 
tertaining no  hope  of  better  tilings,  it  is  an  evil.  The  solution  is,  of 
course,  farm  ownership,  wherever  iiossible,  for  whites  who  are 
now  tenant  farmei's. 

Poor  School  Attendance. 

Our  rank  in  per  cent  of  .school  attendance  on  enrollment  is 
deplorable.  Of  the  forty-six  counties  in  South  Carolina,  Dillon 
County  in  1920  made  the  poorest  showing.  This  fact  should  stir 
the  interest  of  everyone  who  has  at  heart  the  efficiency  and  wel- 
fare of  the  .schools  in  the  county  and  should  prompt  those  directly 
concerned  to  improve  the  school  attendance.  When  a  prominent 
progressive  county  like  Dillon  is  at  the  bottom  in  any  matter  con- 
nected with  schools — the  most  important  institutions  of  the  county — 
it  is  time  for  our  people  to  insist  on  a  strict  enforcement  of  the 
compulsory  .school  attendance  law.  Our  poor  showing  is  not  wholly 
ascribable  to  the  colored  children  for  an  examination  of  the  records 
show^s  that  the  percentage  of  regular  school  attendance  for  white 
children  was  GO.SG  per  cent  and  in  this  respect  Dillon  County 
ranks  45th  among  the  counties. 

But  we  are  proud  to  say  that  Dillon  County  has  fewer  one- 
teacher  schools  than  any  other  county  of  the  state.  Tiie  one- 
teacher  school  is  a  listless,  lifeless  affair  and  the  fewer  there  are 
in  any  county  the  better. 


82  ,    Dillon  County  :  Economic  and  Social 

Illiteracy. 

Nearly  11  out  of  every  100  white  citizens  of  Dillon  County  are 
unable  to  read  or  write  their  names.  In  this  respect  Dillon  County 
ranks  43rd  among  the  counties.  And  there  are  only  4G.  Illiteracy  Is 
truly  Dillon  County's  greatest  single  problem. 

The  eleven  white  citizens  mentioned  above  ai'e  sheer  illiterates. 
Besides  these  there  are  a  great  number  of  near-illiterates  tho  little 
attention  is  given  to  them.  This  fact  is  appalling.  The  remedy, 
of  course,  is  education.  The  majority  of  our  illiterates  are  of 
such  age  that  they  can  be  educated  in  the  public  schools.  But  not 
unless  they  attend  them.  Let  us  insist,  then,  upon  the  strict 
enforcement  of  the  compulsory  attendance  law. 

In  the  same  category  with  illiteracy  falls  our  low  rank  in  church 
membership — only  GO  per  cent  of  our  people  ten  years  of  age  and 
over  are  church  members.  Our  rank  here  is  40tji  among  the  counties. 
The  fact  that  forty  out  of  every  100  of  our  citizens  ten  years  of  age 
and  over  belong  to  no  church  whatever  calls  for  some  sane  think- 
ing by  our  churches  of  every  name  and  faith. 

An,  Ill-Balanced  Farm  System. 

In  per  capita  country  wealth  we  rank  7th  among  the  counties 
with  $872.50  per  individual.  Nevertheless  a  great  many  of  our 
farmers  are  poor.  They  do  not  have  the  money  with  which  to 
buy  improved  farm  implements  for  more  extensive  farming  and 
thereby  lower  the  cost  of  production  while  increasing  the  volume 
or  farm  products.  Lack  of  ready  cash  in  our  country  regions  is 
a  cardinal  deficiency.  In  order  to  have  good  roads,  good  schools, 
good  churches  and  fine  farms  we  must  have  more  money — far  more 
money  than  we  now  have.  And  yet  we  yearly  send  out  of  the 
county  large  sums  for  imported  food  and  feed  supplies  which  can 
be  produced  by  our  farmers  at  home.  This  drain  on  our  money 
resources  makes  us  all  just  so  much  the  poorer  year  by  year — mer- 
chants, farmers,  and  bankers  alike.  The  solution  is  suggested  by  the 
fact.  We  are  enslaved  by  cotton  and  tobacco  and  neglectful  of  food 
crops  and  livestock.  There  are  no  soils  and  seasons  in  the  United 
States  better  suitetl  to  food  and  feed  production  and  livestock 
farming.  It  is  not  impossible  for  us  to  produce  the  staple  bread 
and  meat  supplies  we  need  for  home  consumption. 

In  1920  Dillon  County  produced  non-food  crops  to  the  value  of 
-$11,GS."),104  compared  with  .$2,377.G20  for  food  crops  when  $4,841,498 
was  needed.  In  ]920  the  wheat  crop  was  only  one-tenth  of  a  bushel 
per  inhal)itant,  while  four  bushels  per  i)erson  per  year  are  needed. 


Dillon  County:  P^conomic  and  >fociAL  S3 

Twcnty-uino  counties  li;ive  a  hotter  rating  than  Dillon  in  this  item. 
The  1920  census  gives  only  2,889  pounds  as  the  total  amount  of  our 
hay  and  forage  production.  Our  rank  in  this  was  43rd.  To  properly 
balance  our  farming  system  we  must  diversify  our  crops. 

Co-operative  Movements. 

This  an  age  of  eo-oiieratinn.  It  is  the  solution  of  many  <>{ 
the  farmer's  problems  as  the  14,(JU0  farmers'  buying  and  selling 
organizations  in  the  United  States  bear  witness.  Co-operation  is 
not  merely  a  profit-making  thing  and  it  is  more  tlian  an  agency 
for  protecting  the  farmer  against  exploitation ;  still  greater  benefits 
than  these  come  to  the  co-operator.  When  the  farmer  joins  a  co- 
operative society  he  pledges  himself  to  promote  the  new  social  and 
economic  order  toward  which  co-opei*ation  is  aiming. 

Co-operation  has  secured  a  firm  hold  in  Dillon  County.  On  May 
1.  1022,  183  of  our  farmers  had  signed  up  16,800  bales  of  cotton 
to  be  marketed  thru  the  South  Carolina  Co-operative  Cotton  target- 
ing Association.  In  Marlboro  County,  203  farmers  signed  up  3T.1G5 
bales.  Most  of  the  seven  tobacco  warehouses  of  the  county  belong 
to  the  Tobacco  Growers  Cooperative  Marketing  Association.  These 
facts  speak  well  for  Dillon  County. 

Libraries. 

There  should  be  a  libvai-y  in  every  rural  town.  This  library  should 
have  relation  to  its  community  as  a  school  or  church  has.  It 
should  be  an  educational  center. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  only  about  5  per  cent  of  our  total 
population  ever  read  books  and  magazines  and  very  few  of  these 
come   from    rural   communities. 

Of  the  Latta  library  Mr.  L.  M.  Bouknight.  former  superintendent 
of  the  Latta  schools,  said,  "As  a  center  of  community  activities, 
I  thiiik  our  building  functioned  well  worth  consideration.  The 
general  atmosphere  was  conducive  to  undertakings  for  the  town 
that  could  not  have  originatetl  from  any  other  center.  I  cannot 
say  too  much  for  the  Latta  Lil)rary.'' 

Our  towns  could  not  take  a  more  progressive  step  than  for 
each  to  erect  a  modern,  well  equipped  library.  Such  a  step  would 
be  a  partial  remedy  for  our  illiteracy  problem. 

Tax   Reform. 

Taxation  is  a  state-wide  problem  and  its  solution  must  be  state- 
wide. But  at  the  present  time  it  is  probably  more  acute  in  Dillon 
County  than  in  any  other  county  in  the  State  for  two  reasons. 


84  Dillon  CouisTr :  Economic  and  Social 

First :  Because  the  average  property  tax  rate  for  this  county 
is  higher  thau  that  of  auy  other  couuty.  lu  1920  it  shows  49.25 
mills  as  against  the  state  average  of  37.60  mills. 

Second :  Because  our  couuty  is  distinctly  a  farmer's  county. 
And  since  90  per  cent  of  the  State's  revenue  comes  from  the 
general  property  tax  and  65  per  cent  of  this  from  country  real 
estate  it  is  evident  that  the  farmers  of  the  State  are  bearing 
the  brunt  of  taxation.  Intangible  property  in  this  State  escaping 
taxation  amounts  to  .$.300,000,000.  As  compared  with  the  larger  and 
richer  counties  there  is  very  little  property  in  Dillon  County  es- 
caping taxation.  Consequently  this  county  and  every  other  county 
in  which  there  is  a  small  proportion  of  intangib'e  property  is 
bearing  an  unjust  share  of  the  tax  burden  of  the  State. 

The  remedy  lies  in  the  adoption  of  the  program  for  tax  reform 
as  outlined  by  the  Joint  Special  Committee  on  Revenue  and  Taxa- 
tion appointed  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1020.  This  program 
follows  with  the  years  moved  up  to  apply  to  the  next  few  years. 

1.  The  adoption  by  the  General  .Assembly  of  1923  of  a  Joint 
Resolution  submitting  to  the  electors  of  the  State  amendments 
to  the  present  Constitution  which  would  remove  the  general  prop- 
erty  tax    limitations. 

2.  The  inauguration  and  prosecution  of  a  state-wide  campaign 
of  education  and  publicity  to  the  end  that  the  people  of  the  state 
may  be  fully  informed  upon  the  subject  of  taxation  and  in  position 
to  pass  intelligently   upon   the  grave  question  before  them. 

3.  The  adoption  by  the  people  at  the  general  election  of  1924 
of  the  constitutional  amendments  proposed  by  this  General  Assem- 
bly. 

4.  The  passage  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1925  of  an  act  pro- 
viding the  necessary  special  machinery  for  revaluing  the  property  of 
the  State  at  full  value  and  for  making  an  accurate  survey  and  in- 
ventory of  all  other  taxable  resources  of  the  State. 

5.  Upon  the  basis  of  the  accurate  data  and  statistics  so  produced 
the  enactment  by  the  General  Assembly  of  1926  of  a  compulsory 
revenue  act  combining  into  one  harmonious  whole  a  remodeled 
property  tax,  the  income  tax,  the  business  tax  and  the  inheritance 
tax. 

The  adoption  of  such  a  program  as  the  above  would  go  far  toward 
lifting  a  part  of  the  burden  of  taxation  from  the  farmers  of  Dillon 
County  and  of  the  State  and  placing  it  upon  the  property  which 
is  either  very  lightly  taxed  or  escaping  taxation  entirely.  Our 
representatives  in  the  General  Assembly  should  insist  upon  its 
adoption. 


•-•••••••-••-••■••••••••••'•••• 


..•»•..#»•..«•. 


«•-♦•.♦"•- •-••••^  ♦•  •• 


I  Carolina  Milling  Co. ,  h 

Authorized  Capital  $  1 60,000 


MANUFACTURERS  OF 

HIGH  GRADE  CORN  MEAL, 
FLOUR  AND  MOLASSES  FEEDS 


DEALERS  IN 


SEED  GRAIN  AND  HAY 

DR.  WADE  STACKHOUSE, 

President  &  Treasurer 

M.S.  STACKHOUSE, 

Vice-President  &  Secretary 


Blum  &  Kornblut,  Inc. 

ISADORE  BLUM,  Pres.  LEON  KORNBLUT.  Sec.  &  Treas. 

Men's  and  Womens'  Wear 
Wholesale  and  Retail 

Dillon  County's  Largest 
Mercantile  Establishment 


Our  buying  power  for  six  stores  enables  us 
to  give  you  better  values  for  less  money 

STORES  IN 

DILLON  CHERAW 

LATTA  TATUM 

LAKE  VIEW  CHESTERFIELD 

"The  Stores  Dependable" 


»*.».*»..»^»..#.^»>.«.>»..»*.»..»*.»*.»*.»»*»-*»**»»»»»'»- •#■>»•■••■•  ■■•■•♦•••"•'••■'•■■♦^•••♦"•"•"•"♦-♦"•"♦'•♦"♦••♦•■•■'•' 


MORRIS  PASS 

DEPARTMENT  STORE 

Ladies'  ana  Gents'  Outfitters 

Dillon  s  Largest  and  Best  Store 

DILLON  MULLINS 

S.  C. 

PHONE  1707 


Palmetto  Hardware  Co. 

DEALERS  IN  f 

Hardware,  Tinware  and  Woodenware,  Trucks,  Automobiles, 

Auto  Supplies,  Coffins  and  Caskets,  Stoves  and  Ranges,  Lime 

and   Cement,    Paints    and    Oils,    Imported    China,  Sporting 

Goods  and  Farming  Implements. 

*'The  Store  of  Quality  and  Service" 
DILLON,  S.  C 

McLaurin   &  Thompson 

Wholesale  Grocers 
Hay,  Grain  and  Provisions 

A.  A.  C.  Co.  Fertilizers 

Dillon,  S.  C. 

J.  P.  McLaurin  J.  F.  Thompson 


i 


Braddy- Wheeler  Co.,  Inc. 
HARDWARE 

Lowe  Bros.  Paints  and  Oils,  Fairbanks- Morse  Engines,  Home 

Light  and  Water  Plants,  Emmerson-Branningham  Farm 

Machinery,  Kitchen  Stoves  and  Ranges,  Red  Top 

Steel     Posts,     LotKs    Hot-Blast     Heaters, 

SPORTING  GOODS 

Service  and  Satisfaction 

L.  C.  BRADDY.  Jr.  W.  B.  WHEELER 

DILLON,  S.  C. 

i  ELugene  C.  Stanton  | 

DILLON,  S.  C. 

GENERAL  INSURANCE 

'"^he  Progressive  Jlgency" 

We  represent  some  of  the  oldest  and  largest   companies,    giv- 
ing you  the  most  liberal  policies  and 
1  00  per  cent  protection 

Office  Phone  55  Residence  Phone  155 


••  .««•..•..•..«"•"•«•..•«•«• 


'  /  M  BRIDGMAN  j 

DILLON,  S.  C  j 

j  PHOTOGRAPHER  \ 

I  ylgenl  For  Singer  Sewing  Machines 

1  Yours  For  Good  Service 


R.  H.  WIGGINS        j 

Sales  and  Exchange  Stables  j 

;  Buggies — Harness — Wagons — Horses — Mules  i 

I      We  carry  a  full  supply  of  well  known  Visson  wagons  ! 

;       and  Hackney  buggies.    Each  of  these  makes  is  noted  i 

;       for  its  comfort  and  durability.  | 

We  also  carry  a  full  line  of  horses  and  mules  dur-  f 

ing  the  winter  and  spring  seasons.  I 

LITTLE  ROCK,  S.  C.  } 

Herald  Publishing  Company 

The  completest  Printing  establishment  in  Eastern 
South  Carolina.  We  print  everything  from  a  visit- 
ing card  to  a  coupon  bond. 

Blank  Books  and  Ruled  Sheets. 

Dillon,  South  Carolina 


The  Bank  of  Fork 

FORK,  S.  C. 

Safe,  Sound,  Progressive, 
A  ccommodating 

We  Solicit  Your  Patronage 

L.  M.  ROGERS,  M.  E.  CARMICHAEL. 

President  Cashier 

R.  S.  ROGERS. 
Vice-President 

Palmetto  Cash  Grocery 

DILLON,  S.  C. 
Wholesale  and  Retail  Grocers 

Farmer's  Exchange 

T 
• 

I  Groceries — Feeds — Seeds — Distributors  of  Carolina 

I  Milling    Company's    Products — De    Laval   Cream 

i  Separators,  Dealers  in  agricultural  insecticides  and 

i  dustins:  machines 


i       Dr.  Wade  Stackhouse.Pres.      W.  J.  Adams,  Sec.  &  Treas.       '• 


(•'•-•-••■••••••••'•«•••*■•< 


Economy  Garage 

I  Lake  View,  S.  C. 

I  Prompt  and  Courteous 

i  Attention  to  Autoist 


GAS  AND  OIL 

Our  Motto:   "Service  Which  Satisfies' 
We  Solicit  Your  Patronage 

C.  E.  FLOYD,  Proprietor 


I  Smith  Drug  Company,  Inc. 

E.   P.  SMITH,  Sec'y  &  Treas. 

"The  Rexall  Store" 


Prescriptions.  Drugs  and  Toilet  Requisites,  t 

Norris  Exquisite  Candies  I 

Eastman  Kodaks  and  Supplies,  | 

Symphony  Lawn  and  other  fine  stationary.  | 

Waterman  and  Parker  Pens  and  Pencils,  | 
A  complete  line  of  school  Text  books  and  supplies         | 

"The  Store  Your  Doctor  Recommends"  I 

LAKE  VIEW,  S.  C.  1 


-»••••♦•  ♦•-•-•*• 


»..»..»«#.^»»»».^.*#««>< 


I  DILLON  COUNTY  WAREHOUSE  AND 

!  MARKETING  CORPORATION 

I  Authorized  Capital  $100,000.00 

j  BEST^FACILITIES  FOR  STORAGE 

t  Directors :                                            OF 

\  Dr.  J.  H.  David                     COTTON 

I  E.  S.  Rogers                     o      •  i    ..    .•      .• 

T  °   ,                                bpecial    attention  given  to  mar- 

I  W.  H.   Smith                               keting  cotton.     Protects jthe 

I  J.  R.  Regan                                          farmer's  interests.                      | 


i 


L.  Cottingham  t.  L.  MANNING, 

A.   V.   Bethea  President 

H.  M.  Rogers  DR.  J.  H.  DAVID, 

Vice-President 


T.  L.  Manning 
W.  W.  Evans 


L.  COTTINGHAM, 

Sec,  Treas.,  &'Gen.,  Mgr. 


Evan's  Pharmacy 

The  Rexall  Store 

Prescriptions,  Drugs,  and  Toilet  Requisites. 
Kodaks  and  Supplies. 
Nunnally's  Fine  Candies. 
Symphony  Lawn  and  other  fine  Stationery. 
Ice  Cream  and  Soda, 
Parker  and  Waterman  Pens  and  Pencils 
Prescriptions  filled  by  licensed  Pharmacists. 
We  cordially  invite  you  to  our  store 
'•The  Right  Drug  Store'' 

Phone  46  Dillon,  S.  C. 


*-♦«■♦■■»■■•"♦«■•"♦'»•■■•*'♦"•"•■■»  •• 


r 


Smith-Major  Co. 

Wholesale  Groceries 
Hardware,  Coffins  and  Caskets 

IVe  Lead  the  Leaders 


f 


4  1801-1922 

t 

• 

j  University  of  South  Carolina 

I  Columbia,  S.  C. 

i  The  University  offers  courses  leading  to  the  following  degrees: 

• 

?  I .     School  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  A.  B.,  and  B.  S. 

J  2.     School  of  Education,  A.  B. 

I  3.     Graduate  School,  A.  M.                                                     | 

f  4.     School  of  Engineering,  C.  E. 

I  5.     School  of  Law,  LL.  B.,  3  year  course,  5  Professors. 

i  6.     School  of  Business  Administration. 

Next  Session  Begins  September  20,    1922     . 

FOR  INFORMATION.    WRITE  I 

.  DR.  W.  S.  CURRELL.  President. 

I  COLUMBIA,  S.  C. 
t 


•  ■^••^'•••••"•••♦••♦^•»«>***-«»<»*«>^-«  ••••>#<••-•«•- 


I  The  Southern  Cotton  Oil  Co. 

< 

I  Manufacturers 

I  Cotton  Seed  Products  High  Grade  Fertilizers 


I 

I 
i 

s 

? 

I  W.  E.  CALDWELL.  Manager 


DILLON  MILL 


The  Only  Cotton  Seed  Oil  Mill  in  Dillion 
County 

Operates  an  Eight  Gin  Modern  Ginnery  at  Dillon 

Operates  a  Four  Gin  Modern  Ginnery  at  Little  RocJ^, 
5  Miles  From  Dillon 


1  1 

(  < 

DISTRICT  OFFICE, 

Columbia,  S.  C. 

1 

C.  FITZSIMONS, 

' 

District  Manager 

C.  C  FISHBURNE, 

Ass't  Dist.  Mgr. 

UNTVERSllY  ol  CAU^UKMia 

AT 

LOS  ANGELES 

LIBRARY 

I 
The  Bank  of  Lake  View  1 

Lake  View,  S.  C.  J 


Capital  Stock   $50,000.00 
Surplus   -    -   $25,000.00 


j  A  Safe   and  Sane  Bank  | 

t 

? 

•  

i    Run  on  Strict  Banking  Principles 

1 

i  Depositor^  of  Dillon  County  Funds 

We  Invite   Your  Business 


]     R.  S.  ROGERS.  W.  M.  GADDY,  | 

President  Cashier  • 

L.  M.  OLIVER,  R.  E.  PACE,  I 

i  Vice-President  Asst.  Cashier      I 

i 


>•••>•••••••••«•••••-•••••••-•  ■»..«.■»..»..».•«- 


The    First    National  Bank 

Dillon,  S.  C. 


CAPITAL  $100,000 

The  only  National  Bank  in  Dillon  County. 

The  only  bank  in  the  county  holding 
membership  in  the  great  Federal  Reserve 
System. 


This  Bank  is  the  Depository 
For  This  Puhlication 


Watch    The  First  National-— Its  Coming 


E.  T.  ELLIOT, 

R.  S.  ROGERS. 

Chairman  of  Board 

President 

• 
• 

A.  B.  JORDAN, 

F.  M.  FITTS, 

i 

Vice-President 

Cashier 

i 

